Corporative promotes government initiative

THE Agi-Agro Cocoa Corporative (AACC) in Markham, Morobe, have promoted the initiative by the Papua New Guinea government on establishing independent agencies that work directly with farmers in the agriculture sector.
AACC Nathan Nabin cooperative director said such initiative by the government through Productive Partnership in Agriculture Project (PPAP) was a boon to the cocoa industry.
“The partnership of Agi-Agro Cocoa Farmers Project in Mutzing was funded by PPAP,” he said.
“New Guinea Islands Produce Agmark Ltd, a private sector institution is the lead partner.”
Nabin said he first brought cocoa to Morobe, particularly from Madang, 21 years ago.
“I brought cocoa here and encouraged my family and other people in the village to plant it,” he said.
“There were about 4,500-plus cocoa farmers that grew out from there on however, most of them were not interested in my idea of forming a cooperative and left. Today we have 595 farmers in the cooperative,” he said.
“I started the cooperative and then, Kaput cooperative which are the two first old cooperative groups still in existent because they concentrated on cocoa planting and trade until the birth of AACC in 2013.”
Nabin said under the PPAP’s market access support programme – it has funded a 5km road in Zumim village, Mutzing to assist farmers.