About $1.4 million pa’anga has been committed by the Government of Japan through JICA over five-years to assist in the utilization of breadfruit and processing of breadfruit products for local food security in Tonga.

It's a program that will target communities to re-evaluate the usefulness of breadfruit development with new cultivation techniques, expansion of new processing technology of breadfruit in the community and development of new value chain of private sector and the community.

The 'Improvement of Livelihood and Health Conditions of Tongan People by the Effective Utilization and Processing Products of Breadfruit' is a partnership finalised with the signing of minutes of a meeting between Dr Tamae Sugihara from the Tokyo University of Agriculture, Mr Yoshiura Shinji JICA Resident Representative, Dr Viliami Manu CEO MAFFF, Balwyn Fa’otusia CEO for Finance, Soane Patolo for Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation Tonga Trust and Minoru Nishi of Nishi Trading, in Tonga on Tuesday, 17 January.

Minoru said that initially, they are looking at processing breadfruit flour and faikakai (a sweet Tongan delicacy), and also frozen breadfruit.

"For now we are looking at the health of our people food security wise so that in natural disasters Tongans have their own food source. For example, in a drought it affects root crops like taro while breadfruit is resilient and drought tolerant. We need to look at ways to get breadfruit into storage facilities for our own use because 70 percent of breadfruit as shown in our study are wasted on the ground," he said.

“There is a huge opportunity for us here.”

He said this program would include planting programs that will be adaptable to the community in terms of what they want to do. Farmers would be trained on new cultivation techniques.

In addition, our company is allocated a piece of land for an orchard for breadfruit to do our research and trial. We have identified four main varieties good for processing. So this program would include planting, processing and marketing of these products, he said.

We look forward to this opportunity and what it could create for our country as a whole. We thank the Government of Japan, JICA and Tongan Government because this is an unique program that touches a lot of people, he said.

"In town allotments there are at least three or four breadfruit trees and this is not counting tax allotments so there are a lot of waste out there. This could create a lot of employment for our youth and many social benefits."

Technology

This project also aims to create awareness on the importance of traditional food resources and develop appropriate technology of breadfruit processing in the community and introduce processing technology to private sector for export.

Mr Yoshiura Shinji said they are happy to be involved in this important project for breadfruit utliization in Tonga.

Tongatapu district and town officers were also present at the signing and are joining forces to start this program.