Deal to revive coffee's sister commodity -cocoa project

Source: 

The National, Thursday 03rd May 2012

http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/32320

By ABIGAIL APINA
NGIP Agmark Ltd has started implementing a K2.8 million project to address and improve cocoa productivity in the industry over a three-year period after an agreement was signed in Kokopo last Friday. Agmark signed an agreement with PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd and PNG Cocoa Coconut Institute to cooperate in the cocoa rehabilitation project in East New Britain. PNGSDP has funded the project for a value of K2.8 million and will manage the project’s finance while Agmark will implement it. It is understood that CCI will provide technical advisory services to the project and provide lead in the household survey, monitor and evaluate the project.

The project includes an establishment of a farmer training and dormitory facilities, and training of farmers on industry best agronomic practices of growing and managing cocoa trees for maximum production. It is understood that the training facility would be constructed at Tokiala, one of Agmark’s plantation in the province and nurseries and bud wood gardens would also be established in various project sites where they would be easily accessible by the farmers. The project will also establish nurseries at strategic locations to supply 234,591 cocoa seedlings which is equivalent to 282ha of new cocoa plantings to 1,172 households. Each household will receive 200 seedlings for planting and these households will be from Kadaulung, Sikut, Warongoi, Toma, Bita­galip, Tokiala and inland Baining.

The MoA stated that production and productivity in the cocoa industry had declined significantly over the last 10 years due to age and senility of current of current cocoa plants, incursion of the cocoa pod borer and farmers not having access to good planting materials. It highlighted that since CPB was first detected in the province in 2006, it has become a significant economic pest with drastic decline in cocoa production as infestation levels over the economic threshold limit of 50% to 60%. The impact of CPB on individual farmers and the provincial economy was devastating as smallholders were now switching away from cocoa farming to other subsistence activities.

According to an overview of the project, the combined impacts of these factors have devastated the industry. It stated that 97% of cocoa production comes from smallholders and over 76% of households rely on cocoa for incomes. The project’s overview stated that impact on rural livelihood was particularly severe with a significant flow on effects on health, education services and general business as people’s main source of income declined.

CCI has reported that in the province , cocoa production has dropped from 20,227 tons to 8,000 per year between 2004-05 and 2009-10 representing a drop in monetary value from K141.6 million to K56 million over the period. The K2.8 million project is expected to make a substantial contribution to the rehabilitation of smallholder cocoa production and the management of CPB in the province and other cocoa producing areas. The project will end on March 2015.