10 Dec Feletoa smallholder farmers linkage to private sector for export to offshore market.
April 10th, 2021 – At dawn a container ship eased into Tongatapu’s port carrying five metric tons of taro harvested by smallholder farmers in the village of Feletoa, Vava‘u. Many of the roots were enormous—some weighing as much as eight kilograms—evidence of the island’s fertile soils and the farmers’ skill.
Waiting at the dock was agricultural exporter Minoru Nishi Jr., who, alongside his team, began the meticulous processing required before the shipment could be cleared for New Zealand. Nishi’s company, Nishi Trading, has partnered with growers in Feletoa in a collaboration facilitated by MORDI Tonga, which he described as “well organized” and unusually efficient in connecting rural farmers with overseas markets.
But expanding Tonga’s agricultural exports remains fraught. Even as international demand for taro and other root crops continues to rise, the supply chain linking remote islands to global markets remains fragile—and increasingly volatile.
Exporting in a Pandemic
Exporters like Nishi face a web of complications, many of which have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shipping schedules remain inconsistent, vessel availability fluctuates without warning, and heightened border restrictions add delays and costs.
Compounding the issue is a regional glut of root crops. Farmers in Fiji, once heavily dependent on their booming tourism industry, planted aggressively before the pandemic. When tourism collapsed, local demand evaporated. Now, with crops ready for harvest, Fiji’s surplus has flooded export markets, suppressing prices across the Pacific.
Despite the market saturation, Nishi says he has been able to honor his original purchase price with the Feletoa farmers—a rare stroke of stability in an unpredictable year. “The farmers kept their commitments, so I kept mine,” he said.
Lessons From a Shipment
Even before the shipment left Vava‘u, Nishi anticipated one predictable loss: shrinkage. Taro, like many root crops, contains high moisture that evaporates during storage and transit—particularly when refrigerated facilities are limited or unavailable in rural areas.
When exporting squash to Asia, he explains, exporters typically allow for at least 10 percent shrinkage. Similar expectations will now have to be applied to taro.
The issue underscores a larger challenge in Tonga’s agriculture sector: the lack of reliable cold-storage and refrigerated transport for smallholder farmers. Without such infrastructure, farmers face losses that can wipe out already-slim profits.
A Call for Better Infrastructure — and Training
A postharvest study led by Professor Steven Underhill of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in partnership with MORDI Tonga, has documented significant losses between farm and market. But the research did not fully account for the extended journey from rural islands to international buyers—a journey that exposes produce to multiple points of risk.
Nishi believes solutions start with investment. “We need more refrigerated containers, more storage, and more consistent access to shipping,” he said. Container shortages have become a major bottleneck for exporters across the Pacific; even when demand and supply align, shipments can grind to a halt simply because there are no containers to load.
He also points to the need for training and mentoring for smallholder farmers. As global prices fluctuate, farmers must understand how demand shapes value—and how market saturation can undermine returns. “If producers understand how trade works, they can make informed decisions,” he said.
Reducing Waste, Adding Value
Nishi is exploring ways to turn food waste into opportunity. One of his priorities is developing value-added products such as taro flour—a shelf-stable product with growing potential in health-conscious markets abroad. But he acknowledges that such ventures require research, capital, and strong market demand before they become viable.
Linking Farmers and the Private Sector
According to Tonga’s 2016 census, 77 percent of the population lives in rural areas, and more than 90 percent of farmers operate at a smallholder, largely subsistence level. Commercial agriculture is dominated by a small number of larger operators.
For MORDI Tonga and Nishi, strengthening linkages between rural farmers and the private sector is essential to improving livelihoods and ensuring food security. That means creating access—to infrastructure, finance, agricultural inputs, and technical support.
“It’s simple,” Nishi says. “If we want stronger rural communities, we have to invest in agriculture. And if we want agriculture to grow, farmers need pathways to markets.”
For now, the freshly harvested taro from Feletoa is making its way to New Zealand. But farmers and exporters agree: for Tonga’s agricultural sector to truly thrive, the country must invest not only in its crops—but in the systems that carry them to the world.
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