PNG urged to achieve sustainable cocoa production

PAPUA New Guinea needs to focus on promoting high quality sustainably produced goods to reach the European market, European Union Ambassador Ioannis Giogkarakis-Argyropoulos says.
“The challenge for Papua New Guinea is not only mass production, it is also the organic and sustainable production that meets certain standards,” he said. Giogkarakis-Argyropoulos said this while responding to questions from The National about the progress of Papua New Guinea cocoa in the European market.
“The European market is an extremely demanding market because there a lot of requirements, not only in the quality, but because of the growing demand of more sustainable products,” he said.
“That’s why our regulation requires more control on the original production.”
He said PNG needed to consider those requirements when they produce cocoa so that it could be sold at the European market at a competitive price.
This is because the consumers demand this,” Giogkarakis-Argyropoulos said.
“We live in an interdependent world where we know that what happens in PNG will eventually affect Europe.
“We are very mindful that whatever happens must happen without negative effect.”