[?]000 tons Annually

[?] Guinea Cocoa

[?]000 tons Annually by 1963

BIG saving to Australia in oreign exchange will result if he expected 1957-58 export of tons of cocoa from Papua-New .ea is realised. tive growers, as well as Euro s, in Papua-New Guinea are ng such good progress in the opment of cocoa that by 1963 anticipated they should be able ipply a big part of Australia’s i needs. By that year cocoa which have been planted by peans and natives should be ing about 9,000 tons annually, tier crops which return satis ry money income to natives in rerritory are passionfruit, pea copra and coffee, leers of the Department of :ulture, Stock and Fisheries are ing natives more about the of their land and plants. At vat experimental station, New ea, ten natives are being (Continued next page)

trained as technical assistant! scientific officers, and at Tali! in the same area, 53 are being g training in cocoa growing.

The Minister for Territories, Hasluck, speaking in Canberra cently praised their efforts and it was the Government’s polic encourage natives to produce ( which they could export for 1 Already, nearly two million ( trees are owned by natives more than 1,500 natives are regis as cocoa growers; native-o' coffee plantings total about 90 and a good quality copra is 1 produced by native societies.

The development of the ply industry in the Bulolo Valley, Guinea, is also contributing rm ally to the earning power oi natives where 400 are employ* the enterprise.