Rubber crisis making cocoa more attractive to farmers

About 400 rubber farmers in Abau, Central, plan to switch to cocoa because their old rubber trees are not producing enough.
The Asian Development Bank started the rubber project in the 1980s and the trees that were planted there had grown old and producing less rubber over the years.
“The rubber tree can produce all year around but as the tree gets old it produces less rubber,” said Oscar Asima, the chairman of the farmers’ group in Upilima, Abau.
“We are not making enough money so we are looking for an alternative crop like cocoa.”
Each of the 400 farmers owns seven hectares of land with over 1000 trees each. In a year, a farmer can get about 5kg of rubber from a young tree and about 2.5kg from an old tree. He is paid K1.20 per kilogram.
Asima said now that the trees are producing so little, a farmer may earn only K70 per week.
“As far as I know there is no set price for rubber in PNG,” he said.
“Our rubber trees had been producing less, therefore we think an alternative crop should be good to farm and sustain ourselves.”
Not many buyers come around anymore, he said. Abau used to have three buyers turn up every morning, but now there is only one.
“We are seeking and appealing on investors and partners who would like to work with us to start the cocoa project.”
Asima said he represented the farmers in Upilima. On their behalf, he was looking for organisations or companies to help them grow cocoa.