Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu says Fiji cannot cease the importation of kava from Vanuatu because of its obligation to respect the Melanesian Spearhead Group Trade Agreement (MSGTA).
Mr Seruiratu made this comment in response to a question on the importation of kava from Vanuatu posed at a talanoa session with villagers of Nasolo in Bua last week.
He said Fiji had benefitted a lot through the MSG Trade Agreement that was signed with Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Fiji imports kava from Vanuatu under the agreement.
“We have a big market domestically here at home, then we have our international markets,” Mr Seruiratu said.
“The reason we also get kava from Vanuatu is that Fiji doesn’t even have the supply to cater for the demand here at home.
“If we cannot even cater for the demand here in the country then we most definitely cannot cater for the overseas market.”
Mr Seruiratu said if local yaqona farmers worked harder and planted more yaqona, Fiji would most likely not import “a lot of kava from Vanuatu”.
“There are many opportunities available now for kava. Most of the time, the farmers in rural areas just know about the markets available within here in Vanua Levu, but there are other bigger markets outside.
“But if we want to get into these markets, this is why the Kava Manual and Kava Standards will be important. If we want big money, we will need to meet the requirements of overseas markets like quality control, etc.”
