A one day cocoa training was successfully conducted last week in Vutu village, GPPOL 1, which focused on Cocoa Establishment Rehabilitation and Quality Assurance.
Training was requested by the village’s newly established association called “Purple Gold Farmers Association.” Association’s participants of the training were about 20 plus and were mixed-young people, men and women who showed interest in the training.
Cocoa Specialist, Robert Waisu, who facilitated the training, said the participants really showed their interests in the training as this is a first of its kind of training they had in their village.
He said participants were mixed: some of them have not done cocoa farming and some of them are already farming and selling dry beans.
“We started off with seeds selection, seed nursery, lining/spacing of plants and then came to harvesting. We also went out to the field to do practical on grafting and also trained them on Integrated Pest and Disease (IPD) Management, which is a very important concept in cocoa farming.
“We also went through ‘Cropping Cycle’ which is also important for them to know their sees and the type of soil they want to plant on. Their monthly activities which include weeding, pruning, sanitation, etc.
“I can tell that they were happy for such training as they got to learn new ideas and skills management in the field,” Mr Waisu said.
A participant, Moses Tila expressed his happiness about the training saying it was an eye opener training for him.
“The training is an eye opener for not just myself but many of us who participated in the training. We get to learn a lot out of the training like how keep our cocoa seedlings, how to plant them and keep them in order for them to grow into healthy trees to bear healthy fruits for selling and exporting.
“This is the first of its kind training we ever received in our village and with our new association, I am hoping we will have followed up trainings on cocoa in times ahead,” said Tila.
Tila also called on authorities such as the Minister of Agricultural (MAL) to recognise those in villages when it comes to trainings such as this one.
“We would really appreciate it if MAL recognizes us who are in the villages because we are those who are the grass root level in farming.
“As such, we need better knowledge and skills in farming so that we can also help in our country’s economy with our farming,” Tila said.
By AGNES MENANOPO
Solomon Star, Honiara
