BANANAS could become Fiji’s next major export commodity, following ongoing challenges in the sugar industry.
Responding to questions on the ‘Your Voice, Your Fiji’ column Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka acknowledged the difficulties facing sugarcane farmers and emphasised the need to explore alternative agricultural exports.
He pointed to bananas as a viable option, alongside other crops such as yams and pineapples.
“Before Fiji focused on exporting sugar, there used to be a variety of other crops processed for export,” Mr Rabuka said.
“Some native yam varieties, particularly smaller ones like taniela leka, vurai, and niu madu, could replace sugarcane farming.
“These yams grow easily in machine-prepared fields, yielding greater tonnage per acre and higher incomes.”
Mr Rabuka said transitioning to organic certification could make Fiji’s agricultural exports more competitive globally.
“It would be more attractive to prepare fields for a few years to remove traces of fertilisers and pesticides to get organic certification for the world market.”
He also highlighted the potential for banana farming, citing Fiji’s naturally favourable conditions for growing the fruit.
Mr Rabuka said Fiji should aim at producing organically and improve biosecurity protection to prevent crops from being compromised by invasive species.
Beyond bananas and yams, Mr Rabuka alluded to opportunities in beef and pineapple production.
He referenced the historical Tova Beef canning factory in Tailevu North and a pineapple canning facility in Lautoka, both of which he suggested could be revived.
“We can develop our beef cattle ranches for export and process it for canneries, while also looking at pineapple exports.
“We can start with the Pacific Islands Forum countries as our export destinations and import from them what they have plenty of, like fish and marine products.
“But again, we need stronger watch-keeping with our biosecurity gates at our sea ports and airports to protect our products.”
