Coffee agreement gives hopes to farmers

AGRICULTURE is the backbone of any sustainable economy and it begins with seeds.
A cocoa farmer in Pomio, East New Britain, believes the Government is on the right track with the development of seed banks in the country.
Tavilo in Kerevat in East New Britain has now been boosted to supply cocoa seedlings to the Islands region.
The Government has started a second regional cocoa nursery at Haripmo in Yangoru-Saussia district of East Sepik mid this year to cater for the cocoa seedling needs of the Mamose region.
Upulima, in Abau district of Central, will host the third regional cocoa nursery for the Southern region.
Each regional nursery will produce one million cocoa seedlings per year.
Chris Konkule, cocoa farmer and chairman of the Ram 1 LKK cocoa nursery project at Tokai village, in the Jacquinot Bay of Pomio, said: “The idea of starting regional cocoa nurseries in the country is a right step if PNG is to increase cocoa production from the current 40,000 metric tonnes per year to 310,000 metric tonnes per year by 2030.”
He was speaking during a visit by Cocoa Board officers to Tokai on Oct 21.
Konkule said after logging operations in their area had ceased, his peoples’ hopes were shattered.
But their hopes were boosted when MP Elias Kapavore, pictured, signing a memorandum of agreement with Cocoa Board.
The agreement, signed in February of this year, saw re-introduction of cocoa in Pomio again since 1992.
Konkule said since July this year, the Cocoa Board had constructed a certified cocoa nursery house and supplied 10,000 hybrid seedlings.
However, due to Pomio’s rainy climate, 3000 seedlings died.
The remaining 7000 plants when ready will be distributed evenly to the 100 family households in Tokai for planting in individual blocks.
The community has already identified and cleared land for a bud wood garden that will hold all 18 certified clonal varieties to be planted and supplied to cocoa farmers in Tokai over four years.
Under the MOA, Pomio plans to plant three million cocoa trees over five years. More than 2.5 million small holder farmers are engaged in cocoa in PNG and generating some K300 million in export revenue for the national purse annually.
Cocoa production has been on the up since the cocoa pod borer (CPB) infestation and devastation of March 2006 with the intervention of CPB-tolerant materials.
It has since bounced back from 33,000 tonnes in 2014 to 42,000 tonnes in 2017.
Production is expected to further increase as production is realised from planting done over the last three years.
Papua New Guinea supplies only one per cent of the world cocoa market, compared to neighbouring Indonesia’s 350,000 tonnes annually, however, PNG enjoys a 90 per cent fine-flavour status.