Shipping cost difficulties cause decline in production

SHIPPING cocoa and copra is still a major problem causing a decline of 10 per cent in total agriculture production in Talasea district.
Provincial agriculture adviser Mark Lebong said since 2017, the production of cash crops dropped because of no proper shipping arrangement out of coastal villages in Talasea.
“Agriculture sector is being affected in the province because the highest commodity producers are not moving their crops to town,” Lebong said.
He said locals waited for days to transport their crops to Kimbe town.
Lebong said moving the crops on bigger vessels was better than using dinghies which had limit space ans caused the remaining stock to rot.
Lebong said the agriculture division had moved into new plans by making cocoa nursery throughout villages in Kandrian-Gloucester district last year.
“The objective with the agriculture sector now is to increase the nurseries by backing up the cocoa production in the province,” Labong said.
He said the problem was there for a long time and the local producers were affected.
Weather is also another factor during transportation to stop dinghies from travelling out of the coastal villages.
Lebong said provincial government had looked into the sector but nothing had been done yet.