NEW COCOA BUYING DEPOT BRINGS K1,360 PRICE TO NEW IRELAND FARMERS

CAPTION: TOP: Governor Chan presenting a shell-money (mis) to RMI Manager Sean Wong at the Cocoa Depot launch.
(F-B): BOTTOM: Registrar for Cooperative Societies Wale Budda Molumi, Provincial Administrator Dennis Kosam, NIDC Chairman Benjamin Kimbe and Governor Chan at the launch of Kavieng’s cocoa purchasing depot

COCOA farmers in New Ireland Province can now sell their produce in Kavieng at a price of K1,360 per bag, following the establishment of a new cocoa buying point aimed at improving market access and increasing returns to growers.

The facility, located at the Rabaul Metal Industries (RMI) trading area along Power Road in Kavieng, was officially opened by New Ireland Governor Byron Chan yesterday, in a ceremony attended by Provincial Administrator Dennis Kosam, New Ireland Development Corporation (NIDC) management and industry partners.

Governor Chan says the initiative is being driven by the New Ireland Provincial Government through its business arm, NIDC, in collaboration with RMI and Agmark Agro Ltd.

He says the facility is intended to reduce the cost and inconvenience faced by local cocoa farmers who traditionally travel to Kokopo in East New Britain only to access established buying markets.

“The aim is to make it easier for our people to earn a fairer return from their hard work. Our farmers should not have to travel long distances or accept very low prices simply because they do not have access to a proper facility,” Chan said.

According to the initiative’s proponents, some farmers who could not afford the trip had relied on middlemen, receiving as little as K80 per bag.

The Governor says the new buying point provides the main facility where farmers can sell their cocoa at the announced buying price, potentially improving household earnings and encouraging more production.

He says; “Improving access to buyers is expected to be an important step in encouraging farmers to maintain cocoa gardens, increase production and participate more actively in the cash economy.”

The project is being implemented through NIDC’s Malagan Agriculture subsidiary and forms part of the Provincial Government’s broader effort to strengthen agricultural activity and support local income generation.

Representing RMI and Agmark, RMI Manager Sean Wong commended the Provincial Government and NIDC for progressing the initiative.

Wong said RMI’s close relationship with Agmark had helped provide a basis for the collaboration, which aims to connect New Ireland’s farmers with a more accessible market for their produce.

“The depot has already commenced trading, with an initial 70 bags of cocoa to be purchased today. The current price is K1,360 per bag, and that is the same price being paid in Kokopo right now,” Wong said.

NIDC Managing Director Christian Tarkap also urged communities to support the new buying point, particularly encouraging young people to consider agriculture as a practical source of income and a pathway to economic independence.

“The initiative comes as the general cocoa industry continues to be an important source of rural livelihoods and export earnings. Let us embrace this as a way forward,'” Tarkap said.

The cocoa buying point complements NIDC’s K250,000 copra buyers subsidy programme launched in July.

That programme supported 50 local copra buyers, five from each Local Level Government, with K5,000 each in working capital to help sustain purchasing and trading activities in their communities.