By
ABIGAIL APINA
East New Britain’s ailing cocoa
industry – which has lost millions of kina because of the dreaded cocoa pod
borer (CPB) - has received a shot in the arm with the establishment of a K2.8
million project for rehabilitation work, The National reports.
The PNG Cocoa Coconut Institute
(PNGCCI) has reported that in East New Britain alone, cocoa production had dropped
from 20, 227 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes per year between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010, representing a drop in monetary value from
K141.6 million to K56 million over the period.
NGIP Agmark signed
an agreement with PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) and PNG Cocoa
Coconut Institute (PNGCCI) last Friday to work together cocoa rehabilitation in
East New Britain.
PNGSDP is
providing K2.8 million and will manage finances while Agmark will implement the
project.
PNGCCI will provide technical advisory
services to the project and provide lead in the household survey, monitor and
evaluate the project.
The project
includes establishment of farmer training and dormitory facilities, and
facilitates training of farmers on industry best agronomic practices of growing
and managing cocoa trees for maximum production.
It is understood
that the training facility will be constructed at Tokiala, one of Agmark’s
plantation in ENB.
Nurseries and bud
wood gardens will also be established in various project sites where they will
be easily accessible by the farmers.
The project will establish
nurseries at strategic locations to supply 234, 591 cocoa seedlings equivalent
to 282 hectares 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 agreement
states that production and productivity in the cocoa industry has declined
significantly over the last 10 years due to age and senility of current of
current cocoa plantings, incursion of the cocoa pod borer (CPB) 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 50-60 percent.
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 said 97% of
cocoa production came from smallholders and over 76% of households rely on
cocoa for incomes.
It said 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.
The K2.8 million
project is expected to make a substantial contribution to the rehabilitation of
smallholder cocoa production in East New Britain and other cocoa-producing
areas.
The project will
end on March 2015.
