Solar-combination dryers helping farmers make money

By ELIZABETH VUVU
THE Nganalaka Cocoa Farmers’ Group in the Kokopo-Vunamami Urban local level government in East New Britain is a success story of using solar combination dryers.
Yesterday was a day of celebration for the cooperative group comprising of 111 farmers, as they
sold 20 bags of cocoa beans to exporter Outspan Ltd and earned K9000.
Cocoa Board chief executive officer Boto Gaupu said combination dryers formed a big part of the board’s plan to increase the country’s fine flavor status for cocoa beans.
Since 2014 when the project was rolled out for the Nganalaka group, combination dryers were established to reduce traditional fermenting so that cocoa quality could be achieved.
Gaupu said because cocoa beans were fermented in traditional driers using firewood, smoke affected the quality of cocoa.
Secretary of the Nganalaka group and a woman leader in the community, Roselyn Tobing, was overjoyed.
Tobing said it was the first of its kind in the community and had changed the mindset of people of how they could better manage cocoa.
“As a leader in the cooperative, I am overjoyed,” she said.