New cocoa cooperative in ENB

 By ABIGAIL APINA 

THE Baining Cocoa Cooperative in the Gazelle district of East New Britain is ready to work with stakeholders in improving the cocoa industry in the province.

It was launched on Monday at Kulit in the Inland Baining local level government.

Minister for Forests and Climate Change Patrick Pruaitch thanked the World Bank, Cocoa and Coconut Institute, National Agriculture Research Institute, Kairak Vudal Resource and Training Centre for supporting the cooperative.

He urged its members to strengthen the leadership and maintain good relations with stakeholders.

“There is always a purpose for mobilising our people and teaming up, not just to submit a proposal to access money and later misappropriate it. 

“PNG has to do away with such mentality,” he said.

“If you don’t display great leadership and partnership, you will achieve less. 

“The cocoa industry in the province need cooperatives that can work as a team.”

Gazelle MP Malakai Tabar pledged K10,000 to the cooperative while regional member Leo Dion pledged a similar amount.

The Baining Cooperative Society has 500 members from the nine wards in the Inland Baining LLG.

This project is one of five – three in ENB and two in Bougainville – that received funding from the World Bank under the cocoa component of 

the productive partnership in agriculture programme last year.