Agriculture sector continues to struggle after TC Pam

The agriculture sector continues to play an important role in the lives of the people of Vanuatu, providing work for over 75% of the total population, says the Minister of Finance and Economic Management, Gaetan Pikioune.

“However, the disasters that have affected the country including TC Pam and the El Nino effect have meant that the exports in products such as copra, kava, cocoa and beef have gone down in 2015 as the latest statistical indicators of the Vanuatu National Statistics Office have shown,” he said in his budget speech.

Despite the low performances in 2015 the Government continues to support this sector at every level to sustain growth in the medium term, he emphasized.

“In the coconut industry, many trees are now old and urgent replanting is needed. VARTC continues to support replanting of coconut trees but this is only on a small scale.

“Rehabilitation of the cocoa and coffee industries is also continuing well, with the support of donor partners and NGOs, and this will help boost production in the coming years.”

Minister Pikioune said export of kava also dropped in 2015, but domestic consumption remains strong. He said it was important that the government continued the work to lift the ban on kava in Europe to increase the income base of the rural population. With those developments, the expectation is that production of the crop will start to increase again in the medium term, he added.

“The latest indicators also show that export of beef dropped in 2015, but domestic consumption remained stable. Large holder cattle farmers are the main drivers in this sector. Small holder cattle farmers continue to struggle with high cost of maintenance resulting in many turning their farms into real estate or tourism investment properties,” the Minister continued.

In 2015, the Government subsidized the cost by farmers in a restocking program in Torba, Penama and Malampa Provinces with plans to complete this program with Tafea Province this year.

The Government is reviving the beef industry with the aim to reach 25,000 heads of cattle by 2025 and this program aims to increase beef production in the medium term and the coming years.

“Damage caused by TC Pam slowed production of timber in some areas, but it is important for farmers to continue with replanting of their trees with the support of the TC Pam recovery program,” the minister implored farmers.

On fish production, he said that a lot of fish caught in the waters of Vanuatu, were being offloaded in Fiji because the country was not ready to process or provide direct export of the product.

“Now, domestic consumption is driving production in this sector, but supply is not enough to meet the demand especially in the urban areas,” he added.