Organic Certification will enable local agricultural growers to access organic agricultural markets overseas, while organic farming helps to protect Tonga's underground water supply from chemical pollutants, participants learned from an organics workshop held at the Tanoa Hotel, Nuku’alofa, 6-9 May 2019.

The workshop was requested by coconut growers in the Pacific, but it addressed the two issues, coconut growing and organics.

Organic Certification, according to Karen Mapusua, the Manager – Operation Land Resources Division of the Pacific Community, Fiji, is an essential requirement.

“Certifying organic in your coconut plantation also covers all other crops in the plantation.”

Karen is a Member of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, IFOAM, a worldwide umbrella organization for the Organic Agriculture Movement.

She said that the Pacific Community have received requests from groups of farmers, from throughout the region who want to be Organic Certified. “The most effective way for them to access overseas markets is that they must belong to a growers group, under an organic system.”

“The workshop was part of a regional project to build-up the capacity of countries in the Pacific, so that they can have people to work with those growers, rather than them having to call us in Fiji. We have to have Capacity in the national level,” she said.

One of the major challenges facing Pacific Island organic producers is the high cost of certification, auditing and compliance involved in meeting importing country organic standards, and international standards.

So what is the state of Organic Certification in the Pacific at the moment?

Karen said that in Fiji a lot has been happening with farmers, exporters and processors, who have been certified for exporting.

Fiji and Papua New Guinea have the largest numbers of certified exporters.

She said that Samoa and Vanuatu had been working on organic for a log time, so they have very strong movements. “Samoa and French Polynesia are in the rank of two and three in the world, relating to the percentage of land.”

However, Karen stressed that we still have a lot of work to do on the production end. “Getting the volume to meet the market demand is a challenge. Coconut is the biggest product in the region. Nonu juice is another big one.”

Organic Pasifika is not a new concept in the Pacific, it was the traditional farming system that our forefathers practiced sustainably for centuries. 

In the past farming was predominantly for subsistence living, but in the cash driven societies that we live in today, we adopted a new system of farming, and moved away from organic farming.

However, some Pacific Islands Countries are making firm decisions to counter the negative impact agricultural chemicals on their environment.

Karen pointed out that Kiribati does not allow the use of chemicals because of its water lens.“It is a matter of concern for flat countries, which depend on underground water for their water supply. It is critical.”

Few years ago some villages in Samoa put a chemical ban through the village council. It was very easy for them then to get organic certification.

In Fiji some islands are fully certified through different mechanisms.

“Some of them produce crops, but some islands are concerned for tourism purposes, for Tourists to come to an organic-free resort, and eat organic food – eco tourism experience as well. So there are a number of different models that we can use, just depending on the need of the community, and what their market is.”

In Tonga, the Tonga Youth Congress have 500 or 600 certified land owners. They are producing coconut oil and vanilla. Their challenge at the moment is to find a market for those products because they are is still very small volume.

“They have been working on it for a while. I am very proud of what they are doing”.

Karen pointed out that Commercial growers in the region are also realising that they have to adapt their practices and become more resilient. They are also starting to show interest in organic technology.

“As a region we should work on what to allow. Damages to our water lenses and our reefs are major concerns, and  the full involvement of government is needed,” she said.