Deep in the lush green hills of Nambare in the East Sepik Province, Pastor Tania Parenduo and her husband Clement meticulously sort through cocoa beans in their six-by-five metre solar dryer shed.
As they work, the air is thick with the aroma of drying cocoa. For the couple, it is the smell of success.
For years they had dried their cocoa by heating the beans above a woodfired kiln. It was hot and labour-intensive work, constantly gathering firewood and monitoring the process. And there was the ever-present risk that woodsmoke would taint the drying cocoa, slashing its value in the market.
The solar dryer shed, provided through a partnership between the Australian Government and cocoa exporter Outspan Limited, has changed all that. Now they can dry their cocoa with much less effort and expense, and with much better results in terms of quality. Pastor Tania says having the solar dryer has dramatically improved their lives.
A lift in the quality of the cocoa they sell, combined with soaring global prices for the commodity, has substantially boosted the family’s weekly income, benefiting not only them but their community as well.
In addition to being a farmer, Pastor Tania is a community leader, and the extra income has enabled the couple to build a women’s resource centre, an early learning facility and a church for their community.
The tuition fees they need to pay for their daughter to continue her education at the Pacific Adventist University are now within reach and their younger children now have bicycles to get to school.
"I am a happier wife and mother," Pastor Tania affirms. "My workload has significantly decreased, allowing me to fulfill my other responsibilities more effectively."
As a result of the Australia-Outspan initiative, 35 cocoa fermentary owners across East Sepik have been equipped with solar dryers, not only enhancing the quality of cocoa produced but cutting labour and production costs, reducing tree felling and air pollution and empowering women farmers like Pastor Tania.
Outspan project manager James Suanga and other extension officers have provided valuable training and education to support the rollout of the solar dryers, equipping farmers with the skills and knowledge they need to increase productivity and improve their livelihoods.
The solar dryer project embodies Australia’s commitment to work in partnership to improve livelihoods and help foster a resilient and diversified PNG economy capable of raising the living standards of all Papua New Guineans.
Pastor Tania Parenduo and her husband Clement outside their six-by-five metre solar dryer shed.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100