Balthazar Winjowa has never been more optimistic about his family’s future then today.
After undergoing training with the EU-STREIT PNG Programme to revive cocoa in Wanwara Village of the Turubu LLG in East Sepik Province, where he comes from, the 33 year-old says he’s life has changed completely.
Along side the materials that the EU-STREIT PNG provided, Baltazar was also privileged to undergo bud grafting training, learned proper pruning techniques and studied cocoa fermentation and processing.
“I learned how to conduct pruning and bud grafting,” he explains.
“I now train other farmers in my Village and show them how to manage their cocoa blocks.”
The training and tools started paying off.
In the first half of this year alone, Baltazar harvested 7,300 kilograms of wet beans which yielded around forty bags of dried beans.
He says that the trees just started bearing fruit and he is seeing production increase.
“With the support from STREIT, we are harvesting beans with no Cocoa Pod Borer (CPB) infestation,” He says.
The improved quality of Baltazar’s cocoa has opened new doors for him and his fellow farmers.
With the support of the programme, he had the chance to send his cocoa beans to the Queen Emma Chocolate factory in Port Moresby where they were evaluated for quality.
“STREIT came to my Village and sent samples of my cocoa to Queen Emma. I got a WhatsApp message on my phone saying that I have high-quality cocoa,” he recalls with pride.
His success also led to an opportunity to meet an Overseas buyer from New Zealand.
With the help from STREIT, Baltazar was able to attend a factory presentation with Queen Emma Chocolate, where he met the lady buyer from New Zealand.
“She said if I pass the quality standard, she will visit my Village to sign a contract to supply one tonne of dried cocoa beans per year,” he says.
For Baltazar, this journey has transformed not only his business, but also his family life.
With the money that he earned from cocoa, he has been able to provide more for his family.
His eldest daughter is currently doing grade 9 at Yarapos Secondary School, and Baltazar is committed more to supporting her education.
“My formal education stopped at grade 8 and my wife went as far as grade 9 because of school fee problems,” says Baltazar.
He wants his daughter to go to a business college and return back to manage their cocoa farming as a business.
With the support of his wife, Baltazar is looking ahead to plan big for his future with his cocoa farming business.
