The European Union-funded Facilitating Agricultural Commodity Trade, FACT project has engaged a cocoa exporting company Solomon Islands, to support communities and provide an alternative source of livelihood.

Direct Management Limited, DML is one of the 14 enterprises the FACT project is supporting.

A statement from the Secretariat of Pacific Community says by engaging with this company, the project aims to improve the entire cocoa supply chain in order to benefit the industry.

The FACT project is managed within the Land Resource Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community with the goal of increasing agricultural and forestry trade within the region.

DML director, Margaret Ilala, says the FACT assistance is timely and has accelerated the company's plans to move a notch up in cocoa supply and marketing.

The FACT project will assist DML in constructing a shed for cocoa bean storage and will provide technical assistance to DML farmers to improve supply and quality.