Avoiding a ban such as that imposed in Germany in the early 2000s and instilling confidence in an increasing global market are two of the key reasons for the quality standards being developed for Pacific kava.
The governments of Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu have partnered with the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access programme, or PHAMA, to develop the these standards.
The new initiative will also include the development of manuals that explain production methods, cost-effective testing methods and a push to establish more kava nurseries.
Deputy Team Leader of the PHAMA programme Semy Siakimotu spoke to Tim Glasgow about the new standards.
Photo: RNZ / Daniela Maoate-Cox
Transcript
SEMY SIAKIMOTU: The work we're doing now in partnership with the develop ministries and the Pacific countries and the private sector is actually geared towards that - to make sure the market remains open and to avoid another ban in the future. Because unless we bring it back to what it is and how we use kava and which part of the kava we use - unless we bring it back to that, and what that's what the quality standards are all about, we're likely to come across that same issue as per the early 2000s.
TIM GLASGOW: What are the actual standards that have been decided on?
SS: So in Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, the PHAMA programme has supported the governments and private sector with the development of quality export standards, the kava regulations and the kava quality manual. For the quality standards these are closely aligned to the Codex Alimentarius regional standards that are currently being developed - which has a strong focus on food safety. So those quality standards stipulate which part of the kava plant are used, how they are prepared an acceptable moisture content and so forth. So that's on the quality standard. The quality also needs to start in the field through our support and ion partnership with the relevant ministries - ministry of agriculture, the ministry of labour, it includes the research institutions like USP in Fiji and SROS in Samoa and several other regional organisations like SPC we developed a quality manual that sort of provides information on planting and infield controls, harvesting and storage and so forth.
TG: So at the moment Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu are the countries that are involved, what about the other countries in the Pacific that also produce kava, how do you this overall standard will help them?
SS: This work also includes Tonga to some extent. It's just in terms of priorities there are other priories that Tonga is focusing on. But for Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu, we're hoping that through this work other programmes will be involved in the value chain and be able to provide assistance to some of the countries and the stake holders that are involved in the kava planting and kava exports.
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
