Yaqona theft threatens Taveuni farmers’ livelihoods

Yaqona theft is threatening farmers’ livelihoods in Taveuni, with one farmer claiming thieves have stolen $3000 worth of yaqona from his farm.

Dhir Sen, of Delaivuna, Taveuni, said he had caught the same alleged thief for the fifth time.

Despite reporting the matter to police, Mr Sen claimed the same thieves continued to steal yaqona from farms.

He alleged that when farmers caught suspected thieves and handed them to police, they were not charged.

“There are many farmers who have experienced something similar with kava theft issues,” Mr Sen said.

Another farmer, who chose to remain anonymous, said he had also experienced yaqona theft and claimed to have seen the same thieves stealing from farms.

He said the passion for yaqona farming was slowly dying because years of hard work could be lost within minutes through theft.

The farmer urged the Government to look closely at the issue, saying some farmers depended on yaqona farming for their livelihoods.

Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Tomasi Tunabuna acknowledged that theft of green and matured yaqona continued to pose a daily risk to farmers in Taveuni.

Mr Tunabuna said yaqona theft was not a new problem and farmers had learned to cope with such incidents.

However, he called on relevant enforcement agencies to ensure crop theft was reduced.

He said losses from yaqona theft amounted to thousands of dollars and affected some farmers after years of hard work.

Comments from the Fiji Police Force remained unanswered when this story went to press.