Over 900 cocoa farmers from three districts in Morobe province have signed a partnership agreement for a long-term boost of over a million kina recently.

Farmer community groups from Huon Gulf, Markham and Nawaeb Districts made this sealed jointly partnership with the World Bank and PNG Government of PNG through the PNG Agriculture Commercialization and Diversification (PACD) Project Cocoa Component.

The 10 beneficiaries cluster groups are under Wia Trade as the lead partner, a nationally owned company based in Nadzab, Morobe province owned by Dr Joel Waramboi.

Wia Trade Enterprises Limited is one of the 18 successful lead partners in 6 provinces in the country that have been selected through a strict and lengthy evaluation process in adherence to the World Bank guidelines and requirement.

The farmers met with the Cocoa Board team and PACD Cocoa Component Manager Roland Kerina and team on the 03rd of May this year at the Wia Trade yard in Nadzab.

In a small yet significant ceremony Mr Kerina congratulate Wia Trade and its farmers for their patience and preparedness of this project. The only process that is taking long is the World Bank process that the Project need to satisfy its requirement.

“That process is done and now we are here to sign this agreement with you and this signing is the start of the implementation process,” said Mr Kerina. Mr Kerina further stated that the success of the project depends on the farmer’s team work and apart from the other projects that the project signed Wia Trade project is perfect case for diversification and commercialization.“

This is because Wia Trade did not just get cocoa, coffee and other products from the farmer’s export and get money, Wia Trade do value added interventions and projects such as the Erap coffee recently launched and diversified farming spices such as vanilla, ginger, nuts and cocoa powder,”.

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 funding will be transferred to the Lead Partner Wia Trade and will channel down to the farmer groups through cocoa seedlings, tools, trainings and other opportunities in the farmer project plans.

Dr Waramboi said that the lead partner Wia Trade aims to deliver a successful cocoa project and as the managing director of this company leading the farmers all are committed building an economy and an industry.

He said their project plan activities include is cocoa nursery where now the current seed bank caters 25, 000 cocoa seedlings, farmer tools, farmer quality management training and other capacity building trainings, combination solar dryers, rehabilitation of fermentation boxes and others.

The main aim or objective of the project is to empower farmers identifying their various farmer needs and assisting them so that they earned money and sustain their families.

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.