Pacific Island nations are set to aggregate local produce like cocoa and watermelons for export under a newly proposed regional network designed to bypass exploitative middlemen and secure better profits for smallholder farmers.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Industries and Commerce Manoa Kamikamica revealed plans for the Pacific Islands Cooperative Network at the recent Strengthening Pacific Cooperatives Workshop in Nadi, emphasising a shift toward tech-driven agricultural reform and streamlined regional transport links.
He said the present supply chain heavily disadvantaged primary producers.
“In the current model, the middlemen make all the profit,” Mr Kamikamica said.
“The guys that do 80 per cent of the effort don’t get 80 per cent of the benefit.
“So the co-produce model can flip that dynamic.”
Through the proposed network, Pacific nations anticipate creating sufficient scale for export markets and improve regional supply-chain efficiency.
Mr Kamikamica said the network could allow small producers to combine their output and access larger overseas markets through co-ordinated regional transport links.
The initiative is aimed at addressing one of the key constraints facing Pacific producers — limited production volumes and high logistics costs — while strengthening their bargaining position in international markets.
Mr Kamikamica said greater co-operation could also help ensure a larger share of the value generated from agricultural production reaches farmers, rather than being absorbed by intermediaries. Under the proposed co-operative model, producers would have greater collective capacity to meet export demand while benefiting from more direct market access and payment systems.
