By Mary Lyn Fonua

Tonga’s initiative to open up a new export market for Tongan squash in China could lead to first shipments as early as next season (2016) – if the Chinese government is satisfied that Tonga’s produce is not a “high risk”.

As part of a process to see how Tonga mitigates food safety and biosecurity risks, a team of quarantine officials from China inspected squash growing and export facilities on Tongatapu, from October 23-28.

Tonga’s squash exporters believe that they can double their current export volumes within a few years - if only they can open the door to China, which has the potential to become Tonga’s biggest export market for squash. 

“Everything looks good,” said Afeaki, chairman of the PHAMA Tonga Market Access Working Group, which financially supported the squash verification visit by four experts from the People’s Republic of China quarantine administration, known as ‘AQSIQ’. “The Chinese delegation stated that Tongan squash is good quality and tasted very nice!” he said.

PHAMA Tonga

The visit by the quarantine experts from China was initiated by Tonga. Financial assistance for their airfares and travel expenses was provided under the Pacific Horticulture & Agriculture Market Access Program (PHAMA), a regional Australian Government funded aid for trade initiative, also supported by the New Zealand Government, with the objective of maintaining, improving and establishing export pathways to viable market destinations, working through the PHAMA Tonga Market Access Working Group.

Now Tonga’s squash exporters will have to wait for the outcome of the quarantine risk assessment. If the risk is not high, then the governments of Tonga and the People’s Republic of China can start working on the draft protocols for a trade agreement that will allow Tongan squash into China.

“They will write a report and name what they want Tonga to do in order to export squash to China,” Afeaki said, after attending the exit meeting at the conclusion of the inspection on October 27. “They say six to 12 months for this process, which is why we are looking forward to exports starting in October next year if everything goes well,” he said.

High standards

However, there is no doubt that Tongan growers will have to step up their manangement of field hygiene, disease and pests, and how they spray; while some packing houses will have to meet much higher standards of hygiene to eliminate food safety contamination concerns. Along with better quality control and quality assessment these raised standards will become the key to opening the door to China's markets. The Tonga Government will, probably, have to establish a stricter regulatory system under internationally recognised guidelines for food safety and biosecurity, and develop the skills to implement them.

During their five days visit, the team of three Chinese quarantine inspectors and a researcher met the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Prime Minister Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva. They also talked with the Minister of Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries, Hon. Semisi Fakahau, along with key officials in Tonga’s MFAT and MAFFF, including Dr Viliami Kami, Head of MAFFF Quarantine and Quality Management Division and Mr Siamelie Latu, Deputy Secretary MFAT.

The team, led by Mr Tang Guang Jiang (Shandong AQSIQ), visited four Tongatapu squash export packing houses. Tonga has currently started its harvesting for the 2015-16 season and the export processes of cleaning, sorting and packing squash for export to Japan and Korea was in full swing.

Pumpkin soup

At the new Nishi Trading Packing Facility in Tongatapu’s Central District they met the Managing Director Minoru Nishi Jr., who has already identified a market for Tongan squash in China. They were treated to a taste of spicy pumpkin soup, and inspected the modern packing plant that opened last year. Crates of two varieties of squash were being packed for the season’s first shipments to Japan in early November. Minoru believed that by winning access to the Chinese marketplace that the volumes of squash production in Tonga would begin to rise again to levels that would make shipping easier.

At Nukunuku, the Hihifo Export Co. Ltd, run by Latai Ha’amea was packing squash for Korea. The team also visited two other squash export companies, Mark Shipping Packing Facility (Ma‘ake Faka‘osifolau), and the New Millennium Packing Facility (Lesieli Namoa) in Nuku’alofa, as well as the Queen Sālote Wharf port facilities.

Opportunity

Tonga’s squash season from October to March is a period when squash is not produced in China. New Zealand is already exporting some squash to China, but Tonga’s harvest starts about a month before New Zealand’s harvest.

Afeaki said that currently Tonga is exporting only about 3,600 tonnes of squash for the season. “But with China, our exporter says they could start with 5,000 tonnes, so we would be back to two thirds of our peak in the 1990s – wow! It might grow to 10,000 or even 15,000 tonnes.”

However, Afeaki said that for Tonga’s farmers, opening the door to greater exports was one step and then production was another. “Always from the farmer’s side there are the challenges of drought – like now, there is a lot of drying off, then there are diseases, pests and low yields - the usual farming problems,” he said.

Afeaki said that he hoped that a squash trade agreement might be won sooner rather than later. “There must be thousands of exporters trying to make import agreements with China, and we are very small to get to the top of the pile fast, and sometimes these things can take years. I’d like to see the Tonga government being proactive with this and giving China a reminder that we import a lot from them, so why not let us send something in the other direction?

“The Tonga Market Access Working Group looks forward to Tonga beginning squash exports to China in October next year. This will allow more Tongan farmers to grow squash and earn income for their families,” said Afeaki.