Big taro from Vava’u arrive in Nuku'alofa for export to NZ [1]
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 18:49
A 5,000kg shipment of some exceptionally large and healthy taro from smallholder farmers at Feletoa, Vava’u, has arrived in Nuku'alofa for export to New Zealand.
The taro was shiped from the northern island group, arriving on April 10 in Nuku’alofa.
On average each taro weighs an astounding 4-8kg and reported Nishi Trading Co. Ltd., the exporter receiving and processing facility at ‘Utulau. Nishi Trading and Feletoa smallholder farmers have formalised a partnership facilitated through MORDI Tonga.
The shipment of taro will undergo a vigorous process at the Nishi facility before being exported to New Zealand.
Trading challenges
Exporters have found it challenging to trade recently, with heightened security at the border during COVID-19, limited shipping containers available, compounded with inconsistent shipping routes to and from Tonga,
According to MORDI, integrating rural smallholder into export market is still volatile as supply often does not meet demand from offshore demand.
In Fiji, farmers who normally supply the domestic market are now turning to offshore markets since COVID-19 decimated the tourism sector. Currently the market is flooded with taro and root crops from the Pacific region.
Minoru Nishi Jr said that fortunately for him and the Feletoa rural smallholder farmers, he was able to negotiate and remain at his initial price, despite saturation of fresh produce to New Zealand from the region.
Another challenge is maintaining the high moisture content of taro. From harvest to end market, the weight of taro varies due to shrinkage from harvest to end market.
Minoru said this is due to poor storage and shipping facilities such as refrigerated containers available to rural smallholder farmers through transport.
He said when he exports squash to the Asian market they must allow for a minimum of 10% shrinkage.
Minoru recommended procuring refrigerated containers and storage facilities to address the issue, as well as capacity training and mentoring of the rural smallholder farmer to better understand the dynamics of how trade works.
"The demand from the market will always dictate the prices of the produce, hence when the market is flooded prices will decrease. This is important to point out so that rural smallholder farmers will understand the fluctuations of prices."
Tonga agriculture
According to the Tongan Census in 2016, 77% of the population live in rural areas and their main activity has been in the agriculture sector. There are over 90% still smallholder farmers for subsistence purposes with surplus products going to market to meet daily needs. Commercial farming is done by a select few.
MORDI Tonga said if Tonga wants to see an improvement in rural livelihoods and address the issue of food security, we need to prioritize agriculture. The partnership between community and private sector is very important in enabling a robust trading system for Tonga.
"By lifting farmers out of poverty we need to provide access to infrastructure to the farmers, access to agricultural inputs, access to finance, access to technical assistance. "
MORDI Tonga Trust’s main goal is to contribute to the improved, resilient and sustainable livelihoods of vulnerable communities in rural areas in Tonga.
The organization has completed Tonga Rural Innovation Project I (TRIP) where its sole focus was on community development. TRIP II began in 2018 where it focuses on community development and sustainable economic livelihoods.