Results for Agriculture

The 2014 Agriculture and Fisheries Show will be held on August 6-23 in six islands except for the Ha’apai Group who are recovering from Tropical Cyclone Ian.

Putting fresh products onto supermarket shelves in other countries is a major challenge and a lot of things have to come together before Pacific Islands growers can successfully get a particular product over the market access line, said Annalize Struwig, visiting the PHAMA program in Tonga.

Vanilla promises to be a major source of revenue for Vava'u growers and their families, who are being encouraged to recover neglected plantations and plant new vines.

Development of community-based milkfish farming in Tonga will be given a boost through a project under the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme.

The Tonga Government has allocated $1 million to finance a new Agricultural Export Marketing Fund aimed at providing short term loans to exporters who buy exportable produce from farmers. Three agricultural produce exporting companies have been selected to access the funds.

HM King Tupou VI opened a one-day 'Eua Royal Agricultural Show 2012 on Friday, October 12 at the Malau 'o Vailahi grounds in Niu'eiki.

The first Royal Agricultural Show 2012 was opened by Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala at Lea'aetohi grounds in Pangai on Friday, October 5.

Mangoes are slowly ripening-up on trees under the hot December sun, but despite what appears to be an abundant mango season, fewer mangoes will be left for humans after the C.g. fungus spoils flowers and premature fruit, and the flying foxes or fruit bats (pekas) take their share of what is left. Agricultural expert, Semisi Pone, reveals why the season of fruitfulness in Tonga is not what it used to be, and the serious threat posed by a fruit fungus.

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).