A partnership between the Bulolo District Development Authority, Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture, and local villagers from Apere Village has led to increased cocoa production.
Wosonk Incorporated Land Group Chairman, Teta Mara, said the partnership began in 2017 when WGJV donated a fermenter to the community as part of its corporate social responsibility programs.
He said the installation of the fermenter encouraged villagers to unite and work together to grow cocoa.
“We started looking for other partners to support this initiative,” Mara said.
With support from the Bulolo DDA, the community registered its land as an Incorporated Land Group and used it as an asset to partner with the Cocoa Board of Papua New Guinea to establish a seed bank.
He said an initial 200,000 cocoa seedlings were shipped from East New Britain. Due to limited local supply at the time, the seedlings were distributed to village farmers to establish cocoa gardens.
Mara said the lack of feeder roads previously made it difficult to transport seedlings. However, the Bulolo DDA later constructed a road linking Apere to the highway, improving market access and boosting economic activity.
He added that a new seed bank has now been completed and is awaiting its official launch by Sam Basil Jr..
Mara said all cocoa farmers in Apere are registered under the land group, helping regulate prices and ensure fair trade.
Basil has assured that the seed bank will be opened for distribution in the first quarter of this year.
