Export market access is a very difficult game but the level of organization in Tonga's horticultural and agricultural export sector is ahead of other Pacific Islands, a regional team leader noted on June 1 at the launch of the Tongan phase of a Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Program (PHAMA).

Visiting Tonga, Richard Holloway, the team leader of PHAMA based in Suva, said that that in Tonga PHAMA will advise the government, growers and exporters on technical and quarantine requirements in order for Tongan agricultural products to be able to enter Australia and New Zealand, and eventually other markets.

Under the PHAMA Program a Tonga Market Access Working Group has been formed under the chairmanship of Afeaki, and their role is to identify high-value primary products for export to New Zealand or Australia. Tsutomu Nakao has been hired as the Tongan Coordinator.

Australian aid

The regional program operates in four Pacific island countries - Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga - and will run for two and a half years from January 2011 to June 2013. Australia has earmarked AUD$11-$13 million for the regional program. Richard Holloway confirmed that most of this funding would go to supporting the secretariat and for hiring consultants.

Tonga Co-ordinator Tsutomu Nakau said that the local team pushes the priorities and that PHAMA provides a high level of expertise. "It's a high risk area and you need expert players," he said.

Watermelons

The Tongan section of the program has 'hit the ground running'. Afeaki said that a shipment of fumigated Tongan watermelon had arrived in New Zealand the day before PHAMA was launched in Tonga, and that they were keen to hear how it stood up to the quarantine and other import requirements of New Zealand.

The high-value Tongan products that Tonga Market Access Working Group has identified for New Zealand are the Tongan watermelons and other gourd family produce. Afeaki envisaged that Tonga would be able to export produce to New Zealand in the not too far future without fumigation.

Afeaki said that the key market for Tongan produce at the moment is New Zealand. "Talo and other Tongan root crops can be exported to New Zealand and Australia, there are no restrictions," he said.

However, the program is now looking for new high-value produce that could not access New Zealand and Australia.

Packaging

The Director of Agriculture, Dr Viliami Manu said that a set back for the export of Tongan root crops to New Zealand and to overseas markets is that it has to be packaged into small packets for supermarkets, but a proper packing facility has to be constructed. Viliami estimated a packaging facility for root crops would cost about $2 to $3 million Australian dollars.

A multi-million aid project has already built a packing and fumigation facility which was officially opened near Queen Salote Wharf earlier this year, but according to Viliami it lacked the facility to package talo and other root crops, targeted for supermarkets overseas, ". . . the appropriate market for Tongan root crops, instead of the current practice of shipping a containers to friends or relatives to try and sell," he said.

Kava

On the issue of a one Tongan high-value produce, kava, which faced restricted access to Australia, Tsutomu said that kava was the first produce they identified but they were told that kava was too political and it involved some health issues, so it was rejected.

According to the Quarantine Division of the Ministry of Agriculture the import of kava to Australia is restricted to only two kilograms per individual, but everywhere else there was no restriction.

Food security

The Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, Mr Thomas Roth, told the launch that support for exports is important for growth. "In practical terms PHAMA can help growers and exporters to seek new access to new markets . . . and increase Tonga's prosperity," he said. "PHAMA is an important initiative for Tonga."

He also noted that the promotion of food security was an important element of the programme.

Farmer involvement

Richard Holloway said that it was three years since they had first started talking about the need for today's farmers to have better market access and that practical assistance was long overdue.

"PHAMA will help to define what are the high priority areas and focus on those areas. This is just the beginning and additional priorities will be defined by the working group and PHAMA will mobilise resources.

"We can help but we can't do it for you and it needs active and constructive involvement of farmers and growers with the Tonga market access group playing a role in co-ordinating the work programme.

"Market access is a very difficult game and we need to be very clever in the battles we choose to fight," he said, "but the level of organization we have here is miles ahead of the situation we have in other Pacific Islands."

PHAMA will be a success he said, "if we can see stronger rural communities that are better able to get ahead as a result of our activities."