Agriculture is a key driver of economic growth in Samoa. Whilst contracting by 8.1% in 2021 and remaining largely static in 2022, Samoa’s GDP growth is expected to increase by 4.8% in 2023 and 2.5% in 2024. The post-COVID recovery of Samoa’s tourism industry was affected by border closures that persisted throughout financial year 2022. This has created a slower economic recovery than for other Pacific Island countries.
SAMOA
The economic recovery in Samoa is driven by the return of tourism, rising remittances, and increased public investment.The PHAMA Program has been working in Samoa in 2011 to maintain and improve existing market access, and create new markets by developing the capacity of the public and private sectors to meet export market requirements. The program transitioned to a new phase in November 2018 now known as PHAMA Plus which will run through to June 2026. Root crops, ornamental horticulture, kava and BQS have been selected as priority areas for PHAMA Plus support in Samoa.
Ornamental Horticulture
Samoa’s blooming ornamental horticulture sector is poised to play a role in the country’s domestic and export markets. Ornamental horticulture holds cultural and traditional value in Samoan society. It refers to the cultivation, production, and use of plants, flowers, and trees primarily for their aesthetic and decorative purposes. Ornamentals are grown and marketed within Samoa for use at sp .. Read More
Root Crops
PHAMA Plus builds on the work of PHAMA and aims to increase the production of disease tolerant taro to support increased exports of fresh and frozen taro from Samoa that have an appropriate level of quality. Samoa needed to rebuild its taro export trade after recovering from taro leaf blight (TLB) which decimated production and meant Samoa could no longer export to Australia. PHAMA Plus’ work ... Read More
Kava
In the Samoan culture and traditions, 'ava (kava in Samoan) plays an important role in ceremonies and way of life or the fa’asamoa. Conducted to mark important milestones, the 'ava ceremony is one of Samoa’s most important chiefly customs and is a very formal tradition. From an economic perspective, the 'ava is also an important agricultural commodity for the people of Samoa and the Paci ...Read More
