Cocoa thrives where tea was forsaken

AGRICULTURE

By PISAI GUMAR
ONCE upon a time in Morobe’s Waria Valley, the aroma of Garaina tea was wafting out from the factory and mixed with the mountain mist.
Tea growing spread across Lake Trist down to Kira, across Bia-Waria up to Kasangare and farther interior into the ranges from Sim to Kataipa bordering Gunimaipa in Goilala, Central.
Many in Morobe and throughout the country enjoyed Garaina tea.
Garaina tea and Yha-Hauka coffee in Menyamya were two notable forces for the rural economy that backed Morobe’s provincial budget between 1980 and 1990, among other investments that would soon die out as mismanagement crept in.
Garaina tea’s mysterious disappearance left only footprints covered in shrubs today, and those who have farmed the land are now reverting to alluvial mining for a living.
The Morobe government’s aim to revive Garaina tea when Luther Wenge was governor for three consecutive terms was apparently mere hot air. All consequent efforts even by his successors Kelly Naru and Ginson Saonu have come to naught and money budgeted for the purpose simply vanished.
There has not been a single report of how taxpayer money allocated to revive Garaina tea or spent on investigations into the misuse of the funding was tabled in the provincial assembly or cabinet up to today.
The people of Waria have been left in uncertainty for over a decade.
Something new had to be done for Garaina. And so from 2017 to 2023, it was the aroma of dried cocoa beans that have started a new tale along Waria valley, replacing Garaina tea.
The Cocoa Board of PNG (CBoPNG) piloted a cocoa nursery and planting for Garasa, Garaina and Omora farmers r.
It was initiated by the late Cocoa Board CEO Boto Gaupu, a ‘trupla Morobe’, after similar initiative in Markham district in mid-1990. Cocoa farming has spread like wild fire in Morobe and is continuing to reach other areas where the crop has not been cultivated before.
Late Gaupu served the Cocoa Board for some time and delivered improved livelihoods to other districts in country, before investing in his Waria people in 2014. This was the same year, the national government introduced its freight subsidy programme planning, later realised in 2017.
The Cocoa Board then signed an agreement with North Coast Aviation (NCA) which airlifted 61,902.72kg of dry beans between 2017-2023 from Waria valley. This brought in K379,518.90 which shared among local farmers.
The distribution of cocoa volume per airstrip was Garasa 34.4 per cent, Garaina 42.6 per cent and Omora 23 per cent.
In 2017, when Waria valley farmers began to reap cash rewards directly, their farming has shifted has increased dramatically.

The current CEO of the Cocoa Board, Jesse Tukup Anjen is determined to continue increase cocoa production through technical advice and field support and write a new testimony in Waria valley as well as other cocoa farming districts in country.
In the near future, this journey in Waria valley will likely to give a new lease of life to the shrub-covered tea factory by turning the building into a chocolate factory.
Seeing the positive impacts of cocoa on households, Wau-Waria MP Marsh Narewec and administrator John Orebut included a cocoa roll-out program in their five-year development plan launched in Wau town in October. The rollout will cover the entire valley and an agreement with the Cocoa Board is in pipeline.
Currently, three cocoa bean dryers for Omora, Garaina and Garasa are ready to be airlifted to the respective sites.
The efforts of the Morobe regional office of the Cocoa Board through ongoing nursery extensions, setting up driers field services and awareness is contributing to a significant increase in production volumes in districts (except Menyamya which only grows coffee) making Morobe the second biggest cocoa producing province.
It is notable that in 2022 production year, Morobe reached 5,610 tonnes, a 45 per cent increase compared to the previous production year.
The competing LLGs in production are Umi-Atzera (Markham), Wampar-Lower Watut (Huon Gulf), Labuta (Nawaeb), Waria, (Wau-Waria), Wasu and Siassi (Tewae-Siassi) and Kotec (Finschhafen).
Importantly, the existence of faithful exporters like Agmark, Outspan, Eliveen and PNG No.1 Cocoa in creating better market avenues is also inspiring farmers.
In Morobe, the spirit to sow cocoa is centered around five pillars of trust, respect, unity, process, legacy and action when Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture (WGJV) signed a partnership agreement with the Cocoa Baord in 2019 with its aim to produce chocolate.
Thus, the inception of national bud-wood nursery at Babuaf was an inspiration in the formation of various cooperative groups including Babuaf, Lower Watut, Labuta, Wabubu and Ngasawapum comprising almost 2,000 cluster groups supporting the ambition.
The two additional cooperatives from Yanta and Hengambu in Mumeng, Bulolo will join in January 2024.
“The journey in cocoa production is all about keeping the dreams for our little people alive,” said David Masani from Wafi Golpu Joint Venture.
“Let’s keep the dream for our small people alive,” said Masani.
Eventually, the dream was realised when Queen Emma chocolate company at Kawai Road in Gordon, Port Moresby started manufacturing the Trupla Morobe chocolate currently on shop shelves.
The idea to ‘mine’ chocolate has encouraged Babuaf, Yanta and Hengambu clans to never deface their land and harm soil fertility but to protect and preserve the value and the intimate relationships with the their environment to live harmoniously.
At the signing and renewal of MoA for Wau-Waria cocoa airfreight subsidy between on Nov 13, 2023, Anjen said that 6,000 tonnes was exported out of Morobe in 2022, generating K38 million in revenue for the province.
“Morobe still has vast untapped landmass and potential available, but the question is how to unlock that potential,” said Anjen.
“We are going into the districts creating partnerships to instil confidence and trust ensuring people to unlock the potential of their land to plant cocoa and make a living for the better,” he said.
However, there is a serious need for Tutumang and Sam Sewe to invest in logistic, especially rehabilitating airstrips, jetties, wharves and storage shelters for rural farmers in partnership with the Cocoa Board.
Anjen confirmed that in 2022, the total production in country was 14,000 tonnes and Morobe contributed 13 per cent (6,000 tonnes) of the total volume generating overall K350 million.
About K99 million is shared directly to an estimated 2 million cocoa farmers in country, rating cocoa as a national cash crops now grown in coastal and highlands provinces such as Chimbu and Jiwaka.
In Nebilyer, Western Highlands, cocoa has been grown recently and the Lae office of the Cocoa Board has delivered a cocoa dryer on Nov 10.
The freight subsidy ensures market accessibility enforcing similar cocoa price in Lae into remote places where there is no market. Partnership with stakeholders like North Coast Aviation and JJ Shipping help to ease the burden of freight costs ensuring farmers increase production while maintaining quality.
The subsidy ensures North Coast Aviation airlifts dried cocoa beans from as far as Karamui and Jimi, besides Waria valley, while JJ Shipping freights from Tewae-Siassi and Finschhafen. Cocoa from districts linked by road arrives in Lae on trucks while other farmers along rivers use dugout canoes to transport their produce. From Morobe’s south coast cocoa arrives in dinghies.
In maintaining quality, the CBoPNG officers in each regional office continue to monitor farmers ensuring compliance processes from fermentation period to drying and bagging. Interestingly, the price fluctuation also determines the selling price and cocoa farmers are to comply with due procedures to maintain quality. Currently, a cocoa bag is selling for K700 in Lae compared to K920 in Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
According to North Coast Aviation operations manager Jordan Thiele, they are airlifting five to six tonnes of cocoa each month at currently compared just one tonne a month in the past years.
“This reflects how serious our cocoa farmers in Waria valley, Karamui and Jimi valley are, and airfreight subsidy is very helpful,” said Thiele.
Despite existing issues in airstrip maintenance, the Nadzab-based airline has operated only in Morobe for the past 30 years until recently when it reached out to the highlands and Kerema in Gulf.

• Pisai Gumar is a freelance journalist