COCOA SNAPSHOT Cocoa has been grown in PNG for almost 125 years, first introduced by German traders around 1900, who
being women. Almost all PNG cocoa (99%) is exported, with the remaining 1% used locally in manufacturing chocolate and cocoa powder for sale in PNG. Cocoa ranks
later established plantations in Bougainville, New Britain and New Ireland under German colonial administration. The Australian administration took over after World War I, with expansion continuing after Independence in 1976 when there was a shift from plantations to smallholder farms under customary tenure. Today, smallholder farms produce more than 80% of PNG’s cocoa, and it is the primary income source for about two million people, employing an estimated 150,000 farmers or 20% of the workforce, with the majority
Photo: Australian High Commission PNG
third after palm oil and coffee as PNG’s biggest export crop, contributing K418 million alone in 2023. Of the 150,000 cocoa farmers in PNG, Bougainville has about a third of these – or 50,000 –– the highest number of any region in PNG, ahead of other major producers in East New Britain and East Sepik. In 2023, Bougainville produced
beans from across Bougainville. “We’ve already got a big market here as Bougainvilleans drink a lot of coffee,” Roselyn said. “This is the reason why we’ve gone straight into downstreaming and selling the product locally.” Another standout was Josephine Kauona, a member of the Nabuari Cooperative Society in Central Bougainville, whose group showcased virgin coconut oil and coconut and cocoa cosmetic products. Members of the women’s group partner with KIK – or Kokonas Indastri Koperesen – to receive training in downstreaming coconut by- products. Russel Miringtoro, an avid vanilla grower and buyer, took advantage of the festival’s platform to raise awareness about the importance of quality in vanilla processing. His stall was a hot spot for farmers eager to learn how to perfect their vanilla crops. And the aroma of the vanilla beans was heavenly! For some, the festival marked exciting new beginnings. Mary Mala from the North Nasioi area about 13,000 tonnes of cocoa (out of 42,000 tonnes countrywide), much of it exported through registered fermentaries to key markets in Malaysia and Indonesia. Global demand and prices for cocoa have soared in the past few years with the price now the highest it has been in over 40 years.
at the Cocoa of Excellence Show in Rome, Italy, in December 2021. As well as cocoa and chocolate, this year’s festival saw an increase in the display of other produce such as coffee, vanilla and coconut oil in line with its theme of “promoting Bougainville products”.
Vanilla beans being dried in the sun
medal at the 2017 Academy of Chocolate awards in London, while The Twilight earned gold at the 2017 Australian Food Awards in Melbourne. So, if you ever find yourself in Canberra, make sure to grab a bar of Jasper + Myrtle’s premium Bougainville Nunu Chocolates. If you can’t make the trip, you can order these award-winning delights online and experience the taste of the finest cocoa from Bougainville. Other international recognition includes Bougainville cocoa winning a gold standard award
Bougainvilleans are highly innovative by nature – they even developed fuel from coconut oil to run their cars during the civil conflict – and this spirit of innovation was on full display at the festival, with entrepreneurs proudly marketing their locally made products. Akuron Coffee founders Roselyn and Wenseslous Noruka are a couple who have turned their love for coffee into a thriving business. After retiring and moving back home to Bougainville, they launched their coffee brand last year, sourcing
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