1 May 2007

Cocoa production declines in PNG's Ramu electorate

10:24 am on 1 May 2007

Cocoa production in Papua New Guinea's Ramu electorate in Madang province is declining due to the high cost of transporting goods.

One cocoa grower in the Aiome district, George Buri, told The National newspaper that most growers had been forced to cease cocoa production because they weren't making any profit.

He says that transporting cocoa products by air costs about $28 US dollars per bag and hiring dugout canoes for transport to markets cost more than $104 US dollars.

Mr Buri told the National newspaper, that the lack of road access to markets is the biggest hurdle for cocoa growers.