South Seas Commodities (SSC) is a family-owned company based in Port-Vila Vanuatu which commenced business in 2010. With a wealth of experience in the kava trade, SSC has four fulltime employees and sources their kava from rural households on Pentecost Island. SSC’s vision is to export superior quality kava. It produces kava products from raw materials which are sourced from sustainable, local farms that follow good agricultural practices. The quality

Push for Equality – PNG’s First Female Vet At only 32 years old, Dr Tania Areori is Papua New Guinea’s first-ever female vet. Since November 2020, Dr Areori has been working as the Regional Veterinary officer – New Guinea Islands (NGI) for the National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA). She is currently based in Port Moresby to learn from other animal health officers taking part in the African Swine

PHAMA Plus inks ‘sweet’ deal with Gaston Chocolat CHOCOLATE exports from Vanuatu to Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States are expected to fetch premium prices following food safety certification improvements. The Australia and New Zealand funded Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus or PHAMA Plus Program has signed a partnership agreement with Vanuatu cocoa processor and exporter Gaston Chocolat to improve pre- and post-harvest handling of cocoa,

Add Your Heading Text Here PNG contains spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) Papua New Guinea (PNG) has implemented a rapid response effort to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the provinces of Southern Highlands, Enga and Hela, which has significantly raised awareness of the disease and helped limit the spread beyond these declared provinces. PNG reported the first ASF incursion in Mendi, Southern Highlands on 28 March 2020; ASF has killed pigs across

Fiji Kava Ltd, an Australian-Fijian medicinal kava company producing natural ‘noble kava’ products, has partnered with the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus (PHAMA Plus) Program to strengthen export opportunities for Fijian kava to Australia and other international markets.

Usaia Sausauwainivalu is driving the message that school leavers can consider kava farming as a potential career pathway. While kava farming is not a typical career choice for youth in Fiji, its high profitability is garnering interest among young people,particularly in rural areas, to establish careers as small-scale commercial farmers. In Kadavu, one of Fiji’s major kava growing areas, Usaia Sausauwainivalu, the farm manager at Vunisea Secondary School, is encouraging