Fiji Targets New Cocoa Export Markets

Fiji could gain a new cocoa buyer as a company from New Caledonia explores whether to purchase locally produced beans. Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said the opportunity offered an encouraging opening for an industry that Fiji is only beginning to scale.

Kamikamica said local producers already receive international recognition and described Fiji as producing some of the world’s best cocoa. But he cautioned that the sector would need long-term investment and the rehabilitation of plantations before it could reach its potential.

He said Fiji would start slowly and expand the industry over time. Proper access to export markets and suitable processing facilities will also be needed.

Kamikamica estimated that fully developing the cocoa industry could take between five and 10 years. For now, interest from the New Caledonian company provides a possible route into a new export market.

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The potential is there. Like most things, we start slowly and scale it up. But it’s exciting to see that, in this case, a company from New Caledonia is wanting to come and see whether they can buy cocoa from Fiji.