ENB Partnership Signing
26 Mar 2024
The PNG Agriculture Commercialization and Diversification (PACD) Cocoa Component has commenced the signing of partnership agreements with successful Lead Partners, who have been selected through a strict and lengthy project evaluation process, under the World Bank guidelines.
The Project Management Unit (PMU) met with the selected lead partners, Producer Organisations, Joint Partners, Cluster Groups and Farmers, on Friday 22 of March, 2024 to witness the signing of three Partnership Agreements at the Kairak Center of Sustainable Rural Development, UNRE Vudal, Gazelle district of East New Britain.
The team went through a tedious process in the last 12 months to identify the potential Lead Partners from 61 Expression of Interests. Only 26 passed through to the detailed project proposal phase and a final 22 passed on to be assessed by the Projects' Technical Appraisal Committee (TAC). This Committee is independent and outside of the project and comprises Professionals, led by Mr. Paul Barker as Chairman. Following this appraisal ratings, the final list was recommended to the Cocoa Industry Coordination Committee.
PACD Cocoa component Project Manager Mr. Roland Kerina explained that the occasion is the first singing of partnership agreement under the PACD cocoa component project roll out. The four in East New Britain are the first to sign, and will be followed by 14 projects in other provinces. The provinces are AROB, New Ireland, West New Britain, Morobe and Madang.
The two Lead Partners who signed their agreement were, ENB Women and Youth in Agriculture Corporative Society Association Limited (ENB WYIACSA) and Kairak Center for Sustainable Rural Development (KcfSRD), who had two projects.
Mr Kerina said the process of the project is long but finally the signing will commence now. There were 18 project proposals approved by the Industry Coordination Committee (ICC) at its meeting in January 2024.
Project Productive Partnership Coordinator Martin Powell told the partners during the occasion that this is the start of the implementation process. Mr Powell said small livestock, coconut downstream processing and cocoa rehabilitation are the major activities in these partnerships and reminded the Partners that time factor is important for all the agreement projects to be completed. The partners have 18 months to work on their projects and by October 2025, all projects should be close to completion.
He said signing of Project Agreements with other Lead Partners in AROB, Lae, Madang, New Ireland, West New Britain will be taking place in April 2024. The project will be reaching out to over 45,000 households at the estimated value of K20 million. The Partners were urged to fast track their setting up of Project Bank accounts in order for initial payments to be paid and implementation to commence.
The lead partners expressed gratitude to PACD and the World Bank for successfully signing the partnership agreement and they look forward to working together on the projects.
The PACD project is funded through GoPNG loan funding from the World Bank. The Department of Agriculture and Livestock is responsible for the project and the Cocoa Board of PNG as implementing agency, covering the Cocoa Component.
The Project Management Unit (PMU) met with the selected lead partners, Producer Organisations, Joint Partners, Cluster Groups and Farmers, on Friday 22 of March, 2024 to witness the signing of three Partnership Agreements at the Kairak Center of Sustainable Rural Development, UNRE Vudal, Gazelle district of East New Britain.
The team went through a tedious process in the last 12 months to identify the potential Lead Partners from 61 Expression of Interests. Only 26 passed through to the detailed project proposal phase and a final 22 passed on to be assessed by the Projects' Technical Appraisal Committee (TAC). This Committee is independent and outside of the project and comprises Professionals, led by Mr. Paul Barker as Chairman. Following this appraisal ratings, the final list was recommended to the Cocoa Industry Coordination Committee.
PACD Cocoa component Project Manager Mr. Roland Kerina explained that the occasion is the first singing of partnership agreement under the PACD cocoa component project roll out. The four in East New Britain are the first to sign, and will be followed by 14 projects in other provinces. The provinces are AROB, New Ireland, West New Britain, Morobe and Madang.
The two Lead Partners who signed their agreement were, ENB Women and Youth in Agriculture Corporative Society Association Limited (ENB WYIACSA) and Kairak Center for Sustainable Rural Development (KcfSRD), who had two projects.
Mr Kerina said the process of the project is long but finally the signing will commence now. There were 18 project proposals approved by the Industry Coordination Committee (ICC) at its meeting in January 2024.
Project Productive Partnership Coordinator Martin Powell told the partners during the occasion that this is the start of the implementation process. Mr Powell said small livestock, coconut downstream processing and cocoa rehabilitation are the major activities in these partnerships and reminded the Partners that time factor is important for all the agreement projects to be completed. The partners have 18 months to work on their projects and by October 2025, all projects should be close to completion.
He said signing of Project Agreements with other Lead Partners in AROB, Lae, Madang, New Ireland, West New Britain will be taking place in April 2024. The project will be reaching out to over 45,000 households at the estimated value of K20 million. The Partners were urged to fast track their setting up of Project Bank accounts in order for initial payments to be paid and implementation to commence.
The lead partners expressed gratitude to PACD and the World Bank for successfully signing the partnership agreement and they look forward to working together on the projects.
The PACD project is funded through GoPNG loan funding from the World Bank. The Department of Agriculture and Livestock is responsible for the project and the Cocoa Board of PNG as implementing agency, covering the Cocoa Component.
