HOKUMA PROJECT

Agriculture stands as the backbone of PNG’s economy, representing untapped potential awaiting full realization nationwide. Recognizing this opportunity, SERACS Agribusiness, a subsidiary of SERACS Ltd, initiated a cocoa project in 2023 within Central Province's Kairuku District, in partnership with the Hokuma Incorporated Land Group (ILG).

A week-long community awareness and farmer mobilization effort for this project concluded successfully on June 5th, 2024. This impactful campaign effectively engaged villages including Korona 1, Korona 2, Idau (Musa), and Tutuna, within Wards 1 & 2 of Nara Gabadi LLG in the Kairuku District. The primary objective of this initiative was to educate the community about the project and its benefits to the local population. Additionally, the team identified farmers who showed keen interest in participating in the project, including mapping their land areas for cocoa tree cultivation. The peak of this awareness program, on June 5th, coincided with World Environment Day. It was marked by the symbolic planting of the first cocoa seed by Mr. Kora Evesa, Chairman of the Hokuma ILG, symbolizing the formal commencement of the Hokuma Cocoa Project.

In the upcoming month, the initial batch of over 5000 cocoa seedlings will be distributed to interested farmers from the 18 clans and 168 families identified across six villages. These seedlings will be allocated for transplantation into their respective blocks. The support demonstrated by land groups and interested farmers underscores the significance of this project, especially considering it is the first of its kind in 15 years, following a logging project that left landowners without tangible benefits.

Progress is already evident, with two villages having identified their land areas for clearance and currently undergoing land clearing to prepare for the transplantation of cocoa seedlings. To complement this effort, SERACS Agribusiness will offer technical support, including comprehensive training on various cultivation stages such as seedling nursery management, transplanting, farm management, pruning, harvesting, fermentation, and drying. This will be followed by financial management and capacity building trainings

BOUGAINVILLE SMALLHOLDER COFFEE PROJECT

The sample of the Bougainville Arabic Coffee was collected during our recent visit to Bougainville. We sent the coffee sample to Goroka for testing and the result has come out successfully.  The Bougainville Arabica Coffee is now rank as one of the best in the region. In a near future, it will become one of the primary drivers of income for the Bougainville Government, contributing significantly to the region's economic development.

We acknowledged the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) for conducting the testing and Mr. Rodney Sinaune of Niugini Digital Film for producing videos and pictures that documented the entire testing process