Smallholders
The mission of the smallholders is to develop 6 000 blocks up to 18 000 hectares by 2020 with a production rate of 25 tonnes per hectare.
In the 1960s West New Britain was selected for the establishment of agricultural crops. The first commercial palm oil establishment was developed at Hoskins as a smallholder project and, after two to three years of planting, it progressed into Bialla district just before Papua New Guinea achieved independence. There are now 33 647 smallholder blocks with 13 749.22 hectares of oil palm development scattered along the coast of West New Britain alongside company plantations. The total smallholder area is divided into three divisions, with 58 subdivisions. When driving from Kimbe to Bialla, the first division is called Cenaka with 5 679 hectares, followed by the second division Maututu with 5 351 hectares and then towards East New Britain is Meramera with 3 010 hectares. Today, there a three types of land block within smallholder planting:
- Land settlement scheme
- Village oil palm
- Independent estate