Fiji drinking too much kava to meet export demand

Fiji is consuming so much kava locally that it cannot meet growing demand from lucrative overseas markets — and the government wants that to change.

Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel said on Wednesday that Tonga and Vanuatu had already overtaken Fiji in kava exports, largely because Fiji drinks most of what it grows before it ever reaches a foreign market.

"Fiji doesn't export much because the bulk of it is drunk locally — we can't even satisfy the local market," Mr Immanuel said at the FCEF State of the Economy breakfast at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.

Kava — the traditional Pacific drink made from the root of the yaqona plant — has fast become a global commodity, with growing demand in the United States, Australia and Europe. Fiji's kava exports exceeded $54 million in 2024, supporting around 18,500 households.

But while Tonga and Vanuatu have moved to commercialise and mechanise their kava farming, Fiji is still largely relying on traditional methods that limit how much can be produced and exported.

Mr Immanuel said the upcoming budget would address this directly, with increased funding and support for kava agriculture, and that consultations on a new Kava Bill — which would set quality standards and regulate exports — were already underway nationwide.

"Starting this year and in the next budget, you will see a lot of concentration in terms of funding as well as assistance for kava," he said.

Negotiations with the US, Australia and the EU to relax restrictions on kava imports are also continuing.