Dear Editor – According to a news item broadcast by Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) on Monday this week, Kava growers in Vanuatu are currently struggling to meet increasing demands for the ‘noble’ kava variety in the United States.
According to the news item, more than 100 kava bars have opened in the USA in the last decade and the market is growing fast.
Vanuatu was very badly affected by Cyclone Pam which, reportedly, wiped out a huge amount of kava crops in Vanuatu.
Kava farmers in the Solomon Islands should investigate the potential for exporting their own crops to the USA if there is an increasing market for good quality kava.
Frank Short
Bangkok, Thailand
