Aging workforce puts Kava industry at risk

Our kava industry faces a labor crisis with the average age of farmers reaching 66 to 67 years old, threatening the sector’s ability to meet growing demand.

Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Waterways Dr Andrew Tukuna revealed the alarming statistic on Friday during the launch of the Kava Dieback Disease Communication Package.

“The recent survey done by the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways revealed that the average age of farmers is around 66 or 67 years old, which means we have an aging population of farmers in the country,” Dr Tukuna said.

“Labor is really a problem for us in that way.”

The aging farmer population compounds existing challenges facing the kava sector, which supports 18,500 households and generated more than $54 million in export revenue in 2024.

Dr Tukuna said the lack of available farm laborers was not limited to kava but affected other commodities across Fiji.

The labor shortage comes as kava production has surged from 600 metric tonnes annually in the 1990s to about 14,300 tonnes in 2024.

Dr Tukuna said most kava farmers continue to use traditional farming practices, which hinders efforts to upscale production.

“Farmers are regularly advised on the management and control of the disease to ensure better harvests,” he said.

“But most kava farmers in Fiji still continue to cultivate kava using traditional farming practices, which is a hindrance to upscaling production in a given period of time.”

The continuous cultivation of kava on the same land has also deteriorated soil fertility, increasing production costs through the need for fertilizers and weedicides.

Feedback: kaneta.naimatau@fijisun.com.fj