Fiji earned around $43.6m through kava exports in 2020

Kava export earnings stood at around $43.6 million in 2020.

Minister for Commerce, Trade and Tourism, Faiyaz Koya says the export of kava remains a substantial earner for Fiji and it has diversified into products such as flavoured kava beverage, ready to drink mix, capsules, micronized kava and also kava fit for pharmaceutical and complementary medicine.

Koya says Australia has confirmed the launch of the commercial kava pilot programme by the end of this year and this will provide an important boost to the Fijian Kava Industry and help meet the growing demand for kava, especially by the Fijian diaspora.

While speaking during the Fiji-Australia Business Council meeting, Koya also highlighted that growing international demand for near-shore outsourcing services presents opportunities in Fiji as the regional outsourcing hub.

He says Fiji’s renowned culture of hospitality and resourcefulness, combined with its strategic location as the Hub and world class internet connectivity, means that it is well positioned to deliver exceptional value for clients.

Koya adds our best resource is the dynamic human capital as Fiji has a young, multicultural, vibrant and well-educated workforce with 50% of our population under the age of 27 and a literacy rate of 96%.