01/07/2026
゚viralシfypシ゚
𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗗 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀, 𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
The PNG Agriculture Commercialization and Diversification (PACD) Cocoa program has successfully delivered significant benefits to hundreds of thousands of rural households across Papua New Guinea, positioning the country for a major new phase of agricultural investment.
PACD Cocoa Project Manager, Dr John Moxon, says the program builds on more than a decade of successful partnerships that began with the Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP) in 2011.
Speaking during the PACD Cocoa phase 2 consultation in Kokopo last week Dr Moxon stated that the PACD phase now has officially close and the team now look forward to the phase 2 of the program.
The PACD Project is funded by the Government of Papua New Guinea with financial support from the World Bank. It is implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Livestock which the Cocoa Board of PNG delivers the cocoa component.
“It all started with PPAP in 2011, which introduced a new concept of partnerships where farmer groups worked with lead partners to manage projects under World Bank,” Dr Moxon said.
The initial five-year PPAP program was so successful that it was extended for another five years, ultimately running for a decade. It focused on cocoa production in the lowlands and coffee in the Highlands, benefiting communities across 12 provinces and rehabilitating about 32 roads.
Following its success, PACD was introduced as a more diversified program.
“PACD was different from PPAP because it included commercialization and diversification,” Dr Moxon explained. “We expanded beyond cocoa and coffee to include spices, galip nut, and small livestock such as chickens and pigs.”
Over its five-year implementation, PACD achieved all its targets and fully acquitted its US$40 million (approximately K120 million) budget.
For the cocoa component alone, the program operated across six provinces: Madang, Morobe, West New Britain, New Ireland, East New Britain, and Bougainville. Infrastructure development included the construction of three roads—two in East New Britain and one in Bougainville.
According to Dr Moxon, the program has made a wide-reaching impact.
“In total, around 8,500 households have benefited under PACD through cocoa, vanilla, spices, galip nut, and small livestock activities,” he said.
One of the most notable successes has been the introduction of small livestock projects.
“The small livestock component is new under PACD, and it has proven to be very successful,” Dr Moxon said. “Projects such as chicken farming are continuing to expand, bringing in more farmers and maintaining ongoing production.”
He added that farmer cooperatives and industry groups are now building abattoirs, signaling long-term sustainability and growth within the sector.
Looking ahead, Dr Moxon revealed that an even larger agriculture program is in the pipeline, expected to begin in early 2027.
“This next project is significantly larger—at least US$250 million, or around K1 billion,” he said. “It reflects the government’s confidence in the success of PPAP and PACD as effective models for rejuvenating the agriculture sector.”
Funding for the upcoming program is expected to come from multiple partners, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the World Bank, and other donors. It will run over six years and expand nationwide.
“It will be open to all 22 provinces and will include a broader range of value chains from cocoa and coffee to spices, fresh produce, and livestock,” Dr Moxon said.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is also expected to support the introduction of fresh produce components under the new program.
Dr Moxon highlighted that the core goal remains job creation and economic empowerment.
“The focus is to create employment, especially for young people, and to promote small business and SME development across rural communities,” he said.
PACD’s performance has also received international recognition, recently winning a prestigious World Bank Vice President’s Award for the East Asia and Pacific Region.
“We were surprised and honoured to receive the award,” Dr Moxon said. “It recognises not only full implementation and expenditure of resources but the real impact on farmers’ incomes and livelihoods.”
He explained that the project’s success is carefully measured through independent baseline and endline surveys.
“These evaluations compare farmers’ income and production levels at the start and end of the project—for cocoa, coffee, livestock, and other activities,” he said.
Despite its success, the program faced significant ex*****on challenges, particularly due to delays at the start.
“It was a five-year project, but we effectively had only a couple of years to implement it, which created extreme time pressure,” Dr Moxon said. “This is especially challenging with tree crops like cocoa, which take up to four years to mature.”
Looking ahead to the new program, Dr Moxon acknowledges the increased scale will bring added complexity but says the team is better prepared.
“It is a much bigger project with more value chains and more provinces involved,” he said. “However, we have learned valuable lessons from PPAP and PACD, and we are now in a stronger position to implement faster and more effectively.”
Pic caption: PACD Cocoa Project Manager Dr John Moxon.
