To trade successfully in agricultural and horticultural export markets, there is increasing pressure on exporters to comply with food safety and quality standards that can be independently verified by a third party. This may be a regulatory requirement for market access and/or an opportunity to capture a market that offers a premium price for high-quality produce. A food safety management system based on HACCP principles is a systematic approach to identifying and controlling hazards whether microbiological, chemical, or physical, that could pose a threat to the production of safe food. It involves identifying what could go wrong in a food system and planning how to prevent it. HACCP certification is increasingly preferred by customers and, whilst a company may have an excellent HACCP plan, going through the process of certification ensures that this plan is independently verified to meet all relevant compliance standards. Download

Maintaining kava quality is essential for sustained market access. This is one of the biggest challenges faced by processors and exporters like Lami Kava Ltd that are dependent on accessing raw materials from a large number of small growers working across wide ranging conditions and a large geographic area. The diversity of raw materials and variations in on-farm kava drying practices, can translate into significant variations in the quality of dried kava being available at the farm gate. In response to this challenge, Lami Kava explored an alternative business model that involves buying green kava from growers and moving the washing and drying process in-house. By changing its procurement practice from ‘farm-gate green’ to ‘factory dried’, Lami Kava established greater control over the quality of its raw material supply chain. Lami Kava approached PHAMA Plus to consider the technologies and investment required to move from a manual washing process to an automatic workflow. The result was an agreement to co-invest in a new green kava washing, cleaning and grading facility in 2021. Download

The Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus (PHAMA Plus) Program is supporting Solomon Islands’ cocoa sector to improve the quality of their bulk cocoa exports to achieve higher prices and develop markets for premium grade cocoa, which is typically smoke/taint-free, well-fermented and graded to remove impurities. This creates a price premium for improved quality cocoa, improving returns for cocoa businesses and growers. PHAMA Plus, and its predecessor PHAMA, supported Cathliro to establish its first premium cocoa market in 2017 with a small export consignment of 200kg to a company in the United Kingdom (UK). The following year, their exports more than doubled to 500kg exported to another premium chocolate-maker in the UK.