Yaqona is the new boom crop as its gross sales stands at $253 million and the current sales price is as high as $180 per kg.
Following the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016, one of the major casualties was the yaqona industry, with nearly 50 percent of the crop destroyed.
Chairman of the Fiji Crop and Livestock Council, Simon Cole says this is an impressive turn around and is an endorsement of our farmers that they have brought back yaqona through their skill and hard work to where it is today.
Cole says that coupled with relatively low establishment costs and with 78 percent of the crop sold for cash, it makes yaqona an ideal and worthy investment for the farmer with a conservative return on investment of over 66 percent.
He says the industry continues to grow and a very important aspect of this growth is the quality of the product that will grow with each harvest.
Cole also says that they need to ensure the quality of yaqona remains, particularly as supply is going to increase dramatically as the post‑Winston plantings hit the market and buyers can become more discerning. He says there is increasing competition from overseas and they must make sure that Fiji Yaqona continues to be among the best in the world.
Yaqona is one of 13 associations that make up the Fiji Crop and Livestock Council. Others are Dalo, Dairy, Cocoa, Ginger, Rice, Grazing Livestock (sheep, goats, beef), Fiji Foods Exporters Association, Pigs, Beekeepers, Copra, Fruits and Vegetables, and Organics.
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