From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 13, no. 4, December 1998.

Europeans can’t get enough of the South Pacific’s natural tranquilliser

Kava, the root that makes an intoxicating beverage by the same name, and icon of the laid back lifestyle of the South Pacific Islands, has become a hot product. This year the demand for kava could not be met by any of the kava growing countries in the Pacific.

The demand is coming from pharmaceutical companies in Germany and the USA who are getting into the full production of a new natural tranquilliser made from kava.

Kava produces a narcotic like stupor in those who drink large quantities, and it leaves drinkers sleepy for days. But can South Pacific farmers wake up in time to supply the new market?

Haniteli Fa‘anunu, Tonga’s Director of Agriculture said that one USA company was interested in buying 20 tonnes of kava a week from Tonga, a demand that could not be met right now. He said that work had been carried out at the experimental farm during the past few months on tissue culture kava for replanting. So far they had not been successful, but they were hopeful that they would be able to produce replanting material soon.

Issues

Trevor Guttenbeil, of Tonga Trade, who attended a three-day symposium on kava, held in Nadi, Fiji, at the end of October, said that the meeting was to address issues relating to the trading in kava. It was attended by representatives from kava growing countries in the Pacific, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Wallis and Futuna. Also attending were representatives of kava companies from Australia, China, France, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United States.

Trevor said that Vava‘u had been the biggest producer of kava in Tonga, but mainly for local consumption. But because of the big demand for export, so far this year 400 acres had been planted.

“But the planting of kava came to halt because there were no kava shoots for planting,” he said.

Pacific Kava Council

Following the International Symposium in Nadi, a Pacific Kava Council was formed, chaired by Sione Tupouniua with members from Samoa, Fiji, Tonga Vanuatu, Hawai‘i, Wallace and Futuna, Ponapei and Papua New Guinea.

Olinda Woodroffe, a Samoan lawyer has been asked to be the legal adviser and resource person to advise the council on Intellectual Property matters. Olinda is looking at the questions involving the protection of kava as a commodity and protection of kava as a cultural heritage of the Pacific.

Kava has been identified as a lucrative crop for the Pacific Island countries, and Fiji with a kava market valued at $50 million has already formed a national Kava Council with about 100,000 members, mainly kava growers. The chairman of the National Fiji Council Ratu Nawalowalo said that the Fijian government had put aside $30 million in its 1999 budget for the development of the kava industry.