Farmers complete cocoa training

By ABIGAIL PHOEBE
A GROUP of 18 farmers from Madang has completed training with NGIP Agmark on quality cocoa management practices at the Tokiala plantation resource centre in East New Britain.
The farmers make up the producer executive board of the group called “Club 3000”.
The club of 547 cocoa farmers are producing the Fairtrade certified cocoa using Agmark Cocoa in Madang as their promoting body.
According to Tokiala’s community liaison officer Emmos Julai Nicholaus, the training started last month and ended early this month.
“The training is a practical programme that ensures that participants spend less time in the classrooms and spend quality time in the field learning cocoa cultivation methods,” he said.
Nicholaus said most of the theory part was implemented in the field.
He said the group was the fourth from outside East New Britain to attend training on cocoa management at Tokiala.
The other three groups were from East Sepik and Autonomous Region of Bougainville.