Cooperative society aims to revive cocoa farming

The population of Nuku Central local level government in Nuku, West Sepik, has always grown cocoa since it was introduced into Papua New Guinea.
However, due to the cocoa pod borer (CPB) outbreak in 2006, almost 50 per cent of farmers lost interest in cocoa because of lack of tools, pesticides and information on how to combat CPB.
Sultongo Cooperative Society was incorporated on Sept 3, 2017, in Nuku.
The cooperative was founded by 25-year-old Nimrod Yemen Wangu from Yiminum village, Nuku Central LLG, with support from unemployed youths from Yiminum, Mansuku and Ifkindu villages.
The cooperative’s vision is a sustainable source of income for cocoa farmers of Nuku Central LLG through rehabilitation and replanting of cocoa.
With limited resources, and using only a cocoa nursery manual found on the internet, the cooperative embarked on its dream to build a cocoa commercial nursery.
Since then, Sultongo Cooperative Society has mobilised 85 smallholder farmers from three different wards in Nuku Central LLG.
This has led to establishment of a commercial nursery with a capacity of 20,000 seedlings, and three budwood gardens which are being maintained by cooperative members.