Industries to get help

 By MALUM NALU

THE World Bank-funded Productive Partnership in Agriculture project entails a new approach to agriculture such as linking private and public organisations involved in the coffee and cocoa industries, an expert says.

Institute of National Affairs director Paul Barker said the project recognised the weakness of the public sector institutions to provide the extensive and quality extension and other requirement needed for farmers.

He said the project was designed to help strengthen institutional capacity, policy and communications.

Barker said this would help them increase production and address diseases notably the cocoa pod borer, improve quality and consistency, gain better and improved prices from the better quality but also through certification – for organic, or fair trade – and generally to establish improved market connections.

“It also envisages crop diversification, both as alternative crops for those unable to adjust to the greater labour, technical and other demands and costs of addressing cocoa pod borer, but also to diversify the range of crops grown to reduce risk and improve incomes, and sometimes improve farming systems,” he said.

“There’s also a component to fund some improved transport infrastructure in some locations, where needed, to upgrade access to markets.”

He said the project was initially conducted in the two main growing provinces for cocoa – East New Britain and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

It also targets Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Jiwaka and Chimbu for coffee, with the plan to extend to other provinces.

Barker said doubling coffee and cocoa production would be far too ambitious and would fail to recognise the real challenges facing these industries.

He said the challenges included the coca pod borer, coffee berry borer, trees well over 40 years and well past peak production.

He also pointed out old farmers with inadequate knowledge, young people not wanting to pursue agriculture, uneven input of labour and benefits by men and women undermining incentives and potential productivity, poor institutional support and mechanisms, deficient support skills and capacity, as well as run-down infrastructure.