Over one hundred households in rural West New Britain community now has access to proper Cocoa drier and storage facilities to produce quality cocoa beans.
The locals from the coastline of Mareka and Laut in the Gloucester LLG of West New Britain province have witnessed a combine commissioning of two separate cocoa bean driers and storage facilities.
The project was built by a non-government organisation called Forcert in partnership with European Union.
The driers were built in a way that will enable the locals to dry their beans using the heat of the sun during dry season and also use smoke from fire during the wet season.
The commissioning event was hosted in Mareka village last Thursday where the facilities will now be put to use by Mareka and Laut Corporative Societies.
Speaking at the commissioning event Forcert manager, Cosmas Makamet said there are more to be done to improve livelihood of the people. With Forcert’s aim to build communities that look after their environment while benefiting from it. Makamet said the villagers must work in corporation and take care of their environment and seek partners that will help develop environmentally friendly projects to be rolled on their land.
“The project is not done by Forcert alone, we are working with European Union, Bread for the World and other partners,” Makamet said.
“We must export cocoa from Kimbe and the responsibility is on all of us. We must work together for our product to go out. There are lots of issues in our town so we want our youths to remain in the village and make money here, we do not want them to go look for money in the town that’s how they’ll get into trouble.
“When you look after you land, it will look after you. That’s how we will work not only in Mareka and Laut alone but to other communities as well.”
Mareka Corporative Society Manager, Dennis Irai welcomes the project commissioning as they look to put it to use. He said the project will really benefit the people local communities.
“I am very happy that our small community received such assistance,” Irai said.
“We live in one of the rural places in the country and we are glad that some of our donors arrived from overseas to be with us here and give us this facility.”
He said the facilities will assist them to dry their beans, however the challenge of transporting the beans to the market remains a challenge.
“Such assistant helps us in one area but we are still in need of assistance in other areas for instance transport. The only way to move cocoa beans is through the sea. We do not have another means of transport.”
A Representative from European Union Monica Vazquez said they are glad to help the locals in such projects that preserve the environment and improve the lives of local people though cocoa.
The commissioning saw locals gathered and celebrated with local food and dance from the morning till dawn and into the night.
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