Fiji’s spice sector includes 3,810 turmeric and 661 ginger farming households. Commercial farmers, with over 10 acres each, typically own tractors and excavators, and hire laborers. They sell their produce to the export market. Women, though crucial in agriculture, face limited access to land and finance due to gender norms. Remote farmers struggle with high input costs and access issues. Financial institutions like South pacific Business Development (SPBD) and Fiji Development Bank (FDB) offer unsecured small loans to women. Male youth migration to Australia and New Zealand shifts agriculture labor dynamics, increasing women’s roles in production and processing. Notably, women make up 90% of processing facility workers. Supporting women’s roles presents significant opportunities in the sector.

Fiji Spice key constraints

Some of the key constraints of the spice industry in Fiji are: 

1. Lack of production knowledge 
2. Lack of processing capacity of existing processors
3. Lack of knowledge about import country protocol and opportunity

Key Intervention Areas 

To address these constraints, PHAMA Plus aims to work in three key intervention areas: 

1. Support producers in improving production knowledge
2. Support improved processing and product development
3. Support improved coordination, access to market information to open/maintain existing market 

Spice Sector Vision: Proposed vision for Fiji Spice Sector is  – “With improved production knowledge, processing, and product development, as well as improved stakeholder coordination to meet market entry and access requirements, the Fiji spice sector will increase its exports market share by 10% in 2026.”