It’s that time of the year again when the Bougainville cocoa bean is the star of the show.
Between 28 – 30 October, Hutjena Oval in Bougainville will be buzzing with festivities for the annual Bougainville Chocolate Festival.
Farmers, exporters, chocolatiers, government agencies, civil society, and the community will gather to celebrate the humble cocoa bean. The Festival is an important community outreach event for cocoa, emphasising innovation, diversification, value-adding, quality control, and growth within Bougainville's cocoa industry.
Australia and New Zealand commend the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) Department of Primary Industries and Marine Resources for organising and hosting the 2025 Bougainville Chocolate Festival.
This year’s theme is ‘Bougainville Island of Cocoa’ with the subtheme, ‘through creative opportunities, innovation and information sharing for sustainable and socio-economic empowerment.’
Secretary for Primary Industries and Marine Resources, Kenneth Dovaro, said, “The Bougainville Chocolate Festival is more than just a celebration of cocoa – it is an investment in our farmers, our communities, and our economy. It provides a platform for knowledge sharing and networking, creating market linkages that directly benefit cocoa farmers across Bougainville.”
Since 2016, in partnership with the ABG, Australia and New Zealand have supported the growth of the Bougainville cocoa sector through targeted investments that have benefited more than 50,000 cocoa farmers across Bougainville.
Through the Bougainville Partnership’s Commodity Support Facility (CSF), more than 600,000 clonal seedlings have been distributed, more than 200 conventional driers have either been renovated or constructed, 15,822 cocoa farming tools distributed, more than 35 project offices and storage sheds built, as well as the construction of 17 solar/kiln combination driers.
This has delivered increased participation in the cocoa sector by families, women, men and youth. The Bougainville Partnership has also worked with the ABG to support a more effective regulatory environment through the Bougainville Agriculture Commodity Regulation Act (BACRA). This work has helped Bougainville regain its position as the leading cocoa producer in Papua New Guinea – producing between 15-17,000 tonnes of cocoa each year.
Farmers will join in workshops and discussions about the cocoa sector and other agribusiness opportunities. School students will take part in quizzes and budding competitions and bakers will have the opportunity to showcase their skills – and the Bougainville cocoa bean will be the centrepiece of all these activities.
ENDS
Cocoa powdered products on display at the BACRA stall at the Bougainville Chocolate Festival.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100