Poor infrastructure affects cocoa exports

COCOA farmers in Vagiput, Wosera-Gawi, East Sepik, are finding it hard to transport fermented cocoa beans to the Maprik and Wewak depots because of the poor road conditions.
Farmer Leo Manding said they had to carry bags of cocoa for hours to the main highway as the Burui-Torembi road could not be used by vehicles because most of the bridges had collapsed.
Manding said about 500 farmers in the area did not have a buyer.
“We are selling cocoa to fermentary owners in Numbakua and Torembi which is about a five-hour walk,” he said.
“Many farmers have abandoned their blocks due to the cocoa pod borer.
But the recent price hike had (rekindled) farmers’ interest and most are now engaged in clone cocoa farming.”
He added that farmers were now engaged in sun-drying their cocoa beans, they want fermentaries set up.
“In the past, people do not travel to towns frequently.
“But in the past four months, people have experienced constant flow of income every two weeks. It has also changed their living standards.”
Community leader Gideon Marlow urged farmers using the sun to ferment cocoa to follow the proper process.
He said the cocoa price was starting to fall from K2,000 to K1,000-plus due to the delay in shipping from the cocoa depots in the country to overseas markets.