2026 Bougainville Chocolate Festival to showcase cocoa excellence and economic opportunities
The 2026 Bougainville Chocolate Festival will be held over three days from 23 to 25 September at the Buin Town Oval in South Bougainville, bringing together cocoa farmers, industry stakeholders, development partners and communities to promote cocoa excellence, sustainable agriculture and tourism.
The annual festival, which was launched in 2016, is expected to be the largest event since its establishment and will provide a platform to showcase Bougainville’s growing cocoa industry and its contribution to economic development.
ABG Minister for Primary Industry, Honourable Clarence Dency, said the festival provides an important opportunity to celebrate Bougainville’s cocoa production and the increasing economic activities across the industry.
He said cocoa production in Bougainville had increased significantly to 23,000 metric tonnes in recent times, positioning the region ahead of other areas of Papua New Guinea.
The continued growth of the cocoa industry is creating increased economic opportunities across the cocoa value chain, from household farmers through to traders and exporters.
“I am pleased that the festival’s growth and consistency has delivered wider economic benefits for Bougainville at this critical juncture where the ABG is challenged to grow its internal revenue. I commend the support provided by our key partners from the Australian and New Zealand governments in financing the festival annually,” he said.
This year’s theme, “Bougainville Cocoa, Our Pride, Our Future,” is supported by the sub-theme, “Promoting Cocoa Excellence, Sustainable Agriculture & Tourism Practices for Inclusive Economic Growth.”
The theme recognises the contribution of cocoa to Bougainville’s economy and highlights opportunities across the cocoa value chain, including for smallholder farmers, cooperatives, traders, exporters and small and medium-sized enterprises.
It also emphasises the importance of maintaining and improving cocoa bean quality, while promoting agro-tourism and eco-tourism as complementary opportunities for economic growth.
Minister Dency said the festival also supports the Toroama-Masatt Government’s priority of Bougainville accelerating towards economic independence.
He said this included implementation and awareness of the Bougainville Commodities Act 2022 and the Bougainville Cocoa Regulation 2022, together with ongoing cocoa value-chain development activities.
Minister Dency announced that the Bougainville Chocolate Festival is now a gazetted annual event on the ABG calendar, with plans to expand the event in the future into an agricultural fair or trade expo.
The Australian and New Zealand governments continue to support the Bougainville Chocolate Festival as an important platform for strengthening the cocoa sector, supporting farmers and smallholder cooperatives, and promoting improved cocoa quality and production across Bougainville.
The festival also provides opportunities for farmer participation, technical demonstrations, chocolate competitions, agro-tourism and eco-tourism activities, industry presentations and the promotion of emerging development opportunities.
Since its launch in 2016, the Bougainville Chocolate Festival has formed part of Australian and New Zealand government support for economic development initiatives in Bougainville.
This support has included the recently launched K2.2 million Bougainville Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (BACRA) office and laboratory, which will support the work of the ABG Department of Primary Industry.
More than 5,000 cocoa farmers from across Bougainville are expected to have opportunities to participate in forums and activities focused on improving industry processes, standards, cocoa quality and production.
The festival will also provide an opportunity to discuss ongoing developments affecting the cocoa industry and to inform farmers about initiatives supporting cocoa development across Bougainville.
A key highlight of the festival will be the chocolate competition, where international chocolatiers will judge, classify and showcase award-winning cocoa beans produced by Bougainvillean farmers.
Bougainville’s award-winning cocoa beans will then be eligible for entry into the 2027 Cocoa of Excellence Awards, a biennial global competition that recognises cocoa farmers and celebrates the quality and flavour diversity of cacao produced around the world.
At the 2021 Cocoa of Excellence Awards held in Paris, France, a Bougainvillean farmer received the prestigious Gold Standard Award, demonstrating the quality of Bougainvillean cocoa on the international stage.
The Bougainville Chocolate Festival is an initiative of the Autonomous Bougainville Government, implemented in partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Governments of Australia and New Zealand.
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