Expanding breadfruit agroforests will produce major economic opportunities, a senior official said.

These include health and food security, environment stability and community resilience wrapped up in one tree that will benefit not only Fiji but the whole region.

Those were the words of Deputy permanent secretary Agriculture development Miliakere Nawaikula during the one-day National Breadfruit symposium at Tokatoka Resort in Nadi yesterday.

Ms Nawaikula said: “More attention is needed to be given on research of breadfruit and its product in order to fully capitalise the existing market potentials.

“Varieties can be collected and germplasm plots established in the research stations need to be closely monitors and relevant data collects that translates to meaningful application a focus to community based economic development and local capacity building.”

She said breadfruit production for commercial purposes in the pacific and the Fiji is currently sourced from the community as low intensity plantings.

“That results in low and unpredictable supply volumes; it’s the single most important impediment to industry development,” Ms Nawaikula said.

“In order to achieve consistency, volumes and quality of produce, orchard based farming need to be promoted.”

She said the University of Hawaii and US exports estimated the global market demands from gluten free flour at 100,000 per week.

Ms Nawaikula said apart from fresh fruit export, breadfruit also has potential to be processed and products there are numerous niche breadfruit based products.

“The fact that gluten free flour can be produced from breadfruit represents debatably the largest single market opportunity for the industry,” she said.

More than 40 participants attended the event organsied and supported by Pacific breadfruit project, Ministry of Agriculture, SPC, Natures Way Cooperative, Koko Siga Pacific (KSP), Australian Government and Fiji Institution of Agriculture Science.

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