Papasena – With a baby slung on her right side and a sack of dried cocoa beans balanced on her head, Mama Mariana walked slowly toward a neighbor’s yard in Papasena 2 Village, Upper Mamberamo District, Mamberamo Raya Regency, on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. In the yard, several villagers had already gathered, bringing their own sacks of organic dried cocoa beans to be weighed and sold.
Upon arrival, Mariana asked another woman to hold her baby. With both hands, she lifted the sack from her head, opened it, and poured some of the beans onto a tarp that had been laid out.
Unfortunately, half of the cocoa beans had rotted and become infested with worms. Seeing this, Andi Wamafma, a cocoa field facilitator from Intsia Papua, called everyone’s attention.
“Fathers and mothers, look at this. This is what happens when the fermentation and drying processes are not done properly. If fermentation is done correctly for six days and the beans are dried well under sunlight, they wouldn’t turn out like this,” Andi explained.
The atmosphere grew animated. Some villagers began speaking up, explaining that the beans had been stored for a long time. Mariana said she had been waiting for Intsia to come and buy the cocoa, but there had been no visits for six months—so the beans eventually spoiled.
The discussion continued. The Papasena community then realized that Intsia Papua’s cocoa assistance program had actually ended in 2022. Before transitioning to other locations, Intsia had met with the village government and the Mamberamo Raya Cocoa Farmers Association to discuss market continuity. However, the two institutions had not yet followed up—until Econusa came along.
Onesimus Kwano, a resident of Papasena 2, expressed his gratitude to Econusa for coming directly to their village to purchase their organic dried cocoa beans. He hoped Econusa and Intsia Papua would continue working together as partners in marketing their cocoa.
A similar sentiment came from Papasena tribal chief, Timotius Kawena. He hoped Econusa would build a cocoa collection center in the village so residents could be confident about the sustainability of the collaboration.
“We just hope Econusa won’t come today and disappear tomorrow. We’ve had that happen before with other organizations,” Timotius said.
He acknowledged that the village’s remote location often caused it to be neglected—even by the government. That is why the community deeply needs continued support and attention from Econusa and Intsia Papua.
A Partnership Rooted in Hope
The collaboration between Econusa and Intsia Papua has opened new hope for Indigenous Papuans (OAP) living within the Mamberamo Foja conservation area. Intsia Papua has spent more than a decade assisting communities in cocoa cultivation in the region, while Econusa now helps connect local harvests to viable markets.
The benefits of this partnership are already being felt. For example, Natalia Gofay, a resident of Papasena 1 Village, recently sold 78.1 kilograms of well-fermented dried cocoa beans to Econusa for Rp 20,000 per kilogram, earning her Rp 1.5 million.
For Natalia, the money means a lot—especially to support her two children who are studying in junior and senior high school in Kasonaweja, the capital of Mamberamo Raya Regency. Since her husband passed away in 2022 due to illness, Natalia has had to provide for her family on her own. In addition to growing food crops, she manages a one-hectare cocoa plot inherited from her late husband to earn additional income.
At first, Natalia was reluctant to tend the cocoa trees, as she didn’t know how to sell the beans. But when she heard that a team would come directly to the village to buy cocoa, her enthusiasm returned. She began harvesting, fermenting, and drying the beans again.
“Maybe Rp 1.5 million isn’t much for city people, but for me, it means everything for my children,” said Natalia.
She also thanked Intsia Papua and Econusa for helping her community and hoped that the purchase visits would continue regularly to keep villagers motivated to plant and maintain their cocoa farms.
Tangible Economic Impact
During this visit, community enthusiasm was high. A total of 511 kilograms of organic dried cocoa beans were purchased from residents of Papasena 1 and 2—circulating more than Rp 10 million in cash within the two villages.
This collaboration is expected not only to resolve issues like Mariana’s but also to influence local government policy to provide stronger support for smallholder farmers.
Building a Sustainable Indigenous Economy
The initiative to purchase organic dried cocoa from Indigenous communities around the Mamberamo Foja conservation area is the result of collaboration between Intsia Papua and Econusa. It aims to increase income and improve the welfare of Indigenous Papuans living within this ecologically vital region.
Through cocoa, hope grows—one bean at a time.*
By : Ray/Intsia Papua
