Fiji’s adoption of a Fiji Kava Standard based on CODEX International Food Standards earlier this year caused a buzz in the industry, and many are now exploring the major export opportunities this opens.
“At the moment we have not even scraped the full potential of the kava industry. There is massive potential in terms of medicinal, pharmaceutical opportunity,” Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica said.
He made the statement at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) Talanoa on The 2050 Strategy and the Pacific Trade and Invest Network held in Suva on Monday.
Present on the panel, managing director of Green Gold Kava Dealers Praveen Narayan said stakeholders such as himself had been eager for the CODEX regulations to be adopted and had been advocating for this for over a decade.
“This definitely opens up the European pharmaceutical market because there is a very big potential there; likely over a $100 million can be earned from the European market,” he said, adding that Green Gold Kava is looking into exploring such opportunities this year.
Mr Narayan added that a recent crowding of the industry had led to a higher likelihood of lower quality kava leaving Fiji.
“The kava industry is quite large now. After COVID a lot of those who lost their jobs, they found the kava industry is an easier industry to come into. The economy is growing but the industry is now a bit more crowded,” he said.
“This was a major concern for exporters like me who have invested very heavily into our facilities. Now things are in place for everyone in the industry to be using similar concepts for how to manage kava in a hygienic manner.”
According to Mr Narayan there may be a need for more quality regulations and a body that monitors all outbound kava, but that Green Gold Kava looks forward to working with the new government on uplifting the industry for all its stakeholders.
