A recent Bula Wantok Fiji Investment Roadshow held at the Madang Resort last week generated great interest from farmers and businesses in the Madang Province to supply primary kava roots to Fiji. Madang is a province on the Northern Coast of mainland Papua New Guinea with about 600,000 people.
More than 100 participants, including corporate and business representatives, investors and small, medium and micro enterprises attended the Bula Wantok Investment Roadshow held at the Madang Resort on Friday 27July.
“Farmers along the North Coast of Madang have been supplying primary kava roots to markets in Fiji and other Pacific Islands for the past years. The flavors of kava roots from Madang are quite unique and much loved by consumers in Fiji and other markets in the Pacific, particularly because it is grown organically,” says Mr. Navitalai Tuivuniwai, Fiji’s Trade Commissioner to PNG.
“However, due to rising international demand, coinciding with a supply squeeze following the 2016 cyclone, kava prices have soared. Subsequently, there has been a surge in demand, particularly from kava exporters in Fiji. Therefore, Madang could potentially provide Fiji and other Pacific Islands with the much-needed supply.” said Mr. Tuivuniwai.
With the tens of thousands of people in Fiji and the Pacific dependent on kava trade for their livelihood, advances to connect buyers and suppliers is crucial to the Pacific kava industry and economic growth of these nations.
Ms Daisy Andisagu of the Madang Provincial Council of Women Office was very thankful of the opportunity. “I have learnt a lot from this investment roadshow and I look forward to joining hands with Fiji and learning more about fulfilling my business aspirations,” she added.
The Fiji Trade Commission Office is based in Port Moresby and exists to strengthen trade and investment between Fiji, PNG and the Melanesian countries. The Bula Wantok Investment Awareness Roadshow is an awareness and informational workshop undertaken by the Fiji Trade Commission Office across the 22 provinces of PNG. It is targeted at corporate and business representatives, investors and budding entrepreneurs and individuals who are looking to grow their business and/or investment aspirations in Fiji.