By Theresa Kim
Baranangko
A cooperative
society has been established in the Wakunai District of central Bougainville to
export cocoa to overseas market for a better price rather than selling it to
companies in other provinces where the prices varies.
The Wara Kakau
Co-operative Society was initiated and funded by the Travelling Star transport
company, owned by Simon Baranangko, a Wakunai businessman.
Mr Baranangko
said the project aims to put cash into everybody’s pocket. “People go through
hard times farming and producing cocoa and other cash crops just to keep the
wheels of the country’s economy turning,” he said.
“We must find
ways to push the prices of the commodities in our own province so that
producers or cocoa growers can have a good share of money in their pockets.”
Mr Baranangko
said Bougainville is producing enough cocoa for export and interested cocoa
growers can join the Wara Kakau Cooperative and form a production base where
overseas buyers can reliably organise export tonnage.
He said that he
is looking at exporting directly from Kieta to Australia and Singapore.
“Arrangements had been made between the Kieta Wharf landowners and the
Autonomous Bougainville Government to allow Wara Kakau to export cocoa.”
He said that it
was his dream to sell home grown cocoa overseas and urged cocoa grower within
the Wakunai and other areas to join by paying membership fees. “We are an
Autonomous region and we must strive to live autonomously,” he said.
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