Group wants farmers to engage in cocoa production

A COCOA corporative society in Lower Watut, Bulolo, Morobe is being assisted by the Wafi-Golpu mining project to encourage farmers to engage in cocoa production.
Society chairman Jerry Zeneng said the group wanted to involve more farmers in the area to ensure their produce were further streamlined into downstream processing.
“We aim to ensure we can produce tonnes of cocoa to enable us to go into downstream processing with the support of the Wafi-Golpu mining project,” he said.
Zeneng said Wafi-Golpu had invested in setting up a cocoa seedling nursery with the assistance of the PNG Cocoa Board.
“We decided to enter into such a project as we cannot just depend on mining royalties and other benefits. We have to do something on our own for the benefit of all in the mining affected area.”
Lower Watut is known for producing the best cocoa in the country.
The society was formed in 2015, and since then has won some cocoa prizes in the country.
Zeneng said the society had 354 farmers from five villages.
Each farmer has to own one hectare of cocoa plantation.
Technical officer Chepan Yaling said the establishment of the nursery allowed them to supply seedlings to other parts of Morobe.
“The providing of these seedlings to other parts of Morobe was in line with the Wafi-Golpu mining project’s initiative,” he said.