Building Resilience of SIDS through Trade and Agribusiness Development

Learning from Successes in Agribusiness

Farm to Table:

Constraints, Opportunities and Connections that Farms have with Tourism industry in the Pacific

The Pacific

Annual Number of Tourists (Overnight visitors)

Agriculture and Forestry Import Value as a Proportion of Total Import Value (%)

Situation in the Pacific

Lack of existence of Agricultural Policies in island countries Lack of connection between the Agricultural Sector and the Tourism Industry Farmers were producing for the local markets and export markets Lack of awareness of local foods and inclusion in restaurants and hotels menu Lack of proper government incentives to farmers to increase production and improve quality No farmers organizations to advocate for farmers interest Lot of emphasis and support for the Sugar Industry High level of importation of foods by the hotel industry

Case Study: Fiji major importer of food: its food import bill is estimated to be growing by

20 percent every year. Estimated import bill US$31m annually Devalued the Fijian dollar by 20 percent in 2009 Import Prices increased Introduced 5-13 year tax holidays for investors in commercial agriculture

and agro-processing and reduced all import levies of specialized agricultural machinery, equipment like greenhouses and hydroponics and other agricultural inputs

Established designated geographic tax free zones, in order to encourage clustering of agro-processing. Provision of interest subsidies for loans to agricultural enterprises provided by both commercial banks and development banks

Increase agricultural productions in the vegetables

Increase investment in hydroponic farms

Increase supply of local vegetables to hotels and restaurants

Result of Policy Changes by Fiji Government

Result of Policy Changes by Fiji Government

Volume of lettuce declined from 140 000 to 30,000 tonnes Volume of imported tomatoes

declined from 160 000 tonnes in 2008 to 20 000 tonnes in 2011;

Volume of capsicum imported declined from 60 000 tonnes to 10 000 tonnes, from 2008 to 2011

The Link ?

Winner: Best Cookbook in the World 2010, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Paris

Farm to Table…..

From Farm to Table in the Pacific

Vinaka Vakalevu