State to allocate funds for cocoa processing: Maru

THE government will prioritise cocoa processing in the country beginning with a budget allocation for next year, according to National Planning and Monitoring Minister Richard Maru.
Speaking during the Cocoa of Excellence Show in Lae, he said that the government wanted to eventually do away with the export of semi-processed cocoa beans.
Maru said the State had seen the potential of cocoa for the future of the country.
As such, it had provided funding to the PNG Cocoa board to focus on increasing the volume of cocoa from two million seeds a year out of Kerevat to building three more regional cocoa nurseries, which would see a minimum of eight million seedlings produced per year for farmers.
“The next focus is quality. I am happy with the work of the PNG Cocoa board and some of our farmers in ensuring quality and some of our cocoa products have received international awards for their high quality,” Maru said.
He said one of the major concerns of the country was that, the cocoa industry was not helping creating jobs and making money for other people as it could and the biggest winners were the middle men and the final processors.