Regional consultation on kava coming to Honiara later this month

A regional strategy on kava is taking momentum with Solomon Islands consultation with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat officials happening in Honiara later this month.

High Commissioner to Fiji and the Pacific Islands Forum, Joseph Maáhanua who is leading the Solomon Islands delegation at the Forum Trade Ministers Meeting now in Suva says the country’s output for the strategy will be generated from the meeting on 16 October in Honiara.

“If there is anything we want to add to the text on the regional strategy it will come from the consultation,” Maáhanua said that whilst referring to the consultation.

Solomon Islands is a new kava producing country and there is now a movement in the region to have a strategy to deal with the EU in terms of kava.

Maáhanua said the aim of the consultation is to develop a roadmap to help guide “us with the quality of the product.”

He further added that the strategy would help the Solomon Islands and the region market kava and have copyright over it.

“Once that is registered others can’t do anything like genetical modification,” the high commissioner said.

The EU has expressed their interest on importing kava from PIF as they continue to discuss it via the regional strategy.