PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 6:42 PM by Luigi

Pacific nuts

There's a Focus On...Underutilized Crops in this month's New Agriculturist On-line which includes an article on how the EU's Novel Foods Regulation is preventing market access to various products, including from the Pacific. There's also an article - reproduced below - on Canarium nuts in Vanuatu.

On the islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific there is no mistaking the nangai nut season. At dusk, villages reverberate to the steady rhythm of knife on nut as villagers work to split asunder the hard outer case and reveal the soft white kernel of Canarium indicum. "We always used to eat our fill of nangai," says Chief Samson Bule pausing to berate a grandchild who grabs yet another mouthful, " but now they are worth good vatu [cash] to us."

At the central airstrip of the island of Pentecost, coconut-frond baskets of nuts are loaded into the hold of the passenger aircraft that calls in three times a week, to be flown south to the capital Port Vila. Larger quantities are sent down on the inter-island trading ships. Local businessman and exporter Charles Longwah is buying the nuts. "There's huge demand. It is organically produced. It has a special texture, so unique that even those with nut allergies can enjoy nangai." Gradually exports rose fast from a few dozen kilos to 300 tonnes of nangai shipped in the shell in 2002. Principle destinations include Australia, Japan and Hawaii; but the European Union has denied access to its markets (see An unintended barrier to EU markets). More recently there have been no nangai exports at all as local demand, after promotions in local hotels and shops, has been so strong.

Real benefits

"It takes many tonnes of production to supply just a few centimetres of supermarket shelves," explains Longwah, "so we are way off that. But a high-value low-volume crop is just what Vanuatu's farmers need." The farmers agree with him. The value of other agricultural exports - copra, coffee and cocoa - have all crashed, and after an exciting start a few years ago even exports of the herbal and medicinal extracts of the kava plant have all but collapsed.
Not only are nangai nuts economically attractive but growing them makes ecological sense too. C. indicum is a fast-growing forest tree and does well beneath the natural canopy or amongst the mix in a typical food garden clearing, where the sapling can get established while bananas, climbing yams and more are tended all around.

Up on the steep slopes of central Pentecost, Harrison Barae has a grove of young nangai. "Now that there are buyers who want nangai I am happy to plant a few," he says. Are they hard to establish? "You just have to keep wild pigs or other people's cattle away. And weed around so they can get space." It will be six years before his trees fruit. Harrison, and others planting nangai now, have hopes that the market will be even better by then.

Quality control

However, as any novel crop grower or trader knows, money does not just grow on trees. Macadamia, brazil and cashew, all established nuts, have only maintained their value - and returns to growers - where quality and consistency of supply are guaranteed. This is why trader Charles Longwah is running training sessions on the Vanuatu islands best suited to growing nangai, to explain to motivated farmers how to do all that it takes to produce top grade product. In his office-cum-depot, with shelves brimming with jars and packets of nangai ready for sale, he is cautiously optimistic about its potential. "There are a lot of other countries around the Pacific rim who'd like to grow and export nangai. I just want to make sure that Vanuatu gets a bite at the market."



	A blog maintained by Tevita Kete, PGR Officer Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji Islands
This weblog documents the activities of Pacific Agricultural Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN), along with other information on plant genetic resources (PGR) in the Pacific. The myriad varieties found within cultivated plants are fundamental to the present and future productivity of agriculture. PAPGREN, which is coordinated by the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), helps Pacific countries and territories to conserve their crop genetic diversity sustainably, with technical assistance from the Bioversity International (BI) and support from NZAID and ACIAR. SPC also hosts the Centre of Pacific Crops and Trees (CEPaCT). The CEPaCT maintains regional in vitro collections of crops important to the Pacific and carries out research on tissue culture technology. The CEPaCT Adviser is Dr Mary Taylor (MaryT@spc.int), the CEPaCT Curator is Ms Valerie Tuia (ValerieT@spc.int). PAPGREN coordination and support IPGRI ACIAR NZAID CTA SPC PAPGREN CEPaCT Click on the thumbnail to see a map of the locations of Pacific genebanks. Click here to download a regional directory of genebanks in the Pacific, including information on their location, contact details and holdings. PAPGREN partners Mr William Wigmore Director of Research Ministry of Agriculture Department of Resources & Development P.O. Box 96 Rarotonga Cook Islands Tel: (682) 28711-29720 Fax: (682) 21881 Email: cimoa@oyster.net.ck Mr Adelino S. Lorens Chief Agriculture Pohnpei Office of Economic Affairs P.O. Box 1028 Kolonia Pohnpei 96941 Federated States of Micronesia Tel: (691) 3202400 Fax: (691) 3202127 Email: pniagriculture@mail.fm Dr Lois Englberger Island Food Community of Pohnpei Research Advisor P.O. Box 2299 Kolonia Pohnpei 96941 Federated States of Micronesia Email: nutrition@mail.fm Mr Apisai Ucuboi Director of Research Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forest Koronivia Research Station P.O. Box 77 Nausori Fiji Islands Tel: (679) 3477044 Fax: (679) 3477546-400262 Email: apisainu@yahoo.com Dr Maurice Wong Service du Developpement Rural B.P. 100 Papeete Tahiti 98713 French Polynesia Tel: (689) 42 81 44 Fax: (689) 42 08 31 Email: maurice.wong@rural.gov.pf Mr Tianeti Beenna Ioane Head, Research Section Division of Agriculture Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development P.O. Box 267 Tarawa Kiribati Tel: (686) 28096-28108-28080 Fax: (686) 28121 Email : agriculture@tskl.net.ki; Beenna_ti@yahoo.com Mr Frederick Muller Secretary Ministry of Resources & Development P.O. Box 1727 Majuro 96960 Marshall Islands Tel: (692) 6253206 Fax: (692) 6257471 Email: rndsec@ntamar.net Mr Herman Francisco Director Bureau of Agriculture Ministry of Resources & Development P.O. Box 460 Koror 96940 Palau Tel: (680) 4881517 Fax: (680) 4881725 Email: bnrd@pnccwg.palaunet.com Ms Rosa Kambuou Principal Scientist PGR NARI Dry Lowlands Programme Laloki Agricultural Research Station P.O. Box 1828 Boroko National Capital District Papua New Guinea Tel: (675) 3235511 Fax: (675) 3234733 Email: kambuou@global.net.pg Ms Laisene Samuelu Principal Crop Development Officer Crops Division Ministry of Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries & Meteorology P.O. Box 1874 Apia Samoa Tel: (685) 23416-20605 Fax: (685) 20607-23996 Email: lsamuelu@lesamoa.net Mr Jimi Saelea Director of Research Department of Agriculture and Livestock P.O. Box G13 Honiara Guadalcanal Solomon Islands Tel: (677) 27987 Mr Tony Jansen Planting Materials Network Kastom Gaden Association Burns Creek, Honiara P.O. Box 742 Honiara Solomon Islands Tel: (677) 39551 Email: kastomgaden@solomon.com.sb Mr Finao Pole Head of Research Ministry of Agriculture & Forests P.O. Box 14 Nuku'alofa Tonga Tel: (676) 23038 Fax: (676) 24271 Email: thaangana@hotmail.com Mr Frazer Bule Lehi Head of Research Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Private Mail Bag 040 Port Vila Vanuatu Tel: (678) 22525 Fax: (678) 25265 Email: flehi@hotmail.com Other links Other CROP agencies Forum Secretariat University of the South Pacific SPREP Pacific biodiversity Biodiversity hotspots Breadfruit Institute Hawaiian native plants Intellectual property rights Nature Conservancy PBIF PestNet SIDS WWF South Pacific Program Other Pacific organizations Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific Micronesian Seminar Te Puna web directory Pacific news Cafe Pacific CocoNET Wireless Island Directory Pacific Islands News Pacific Islands Report Pacific Islands Travel Pacific Time South Pacific travel Time Pacific Interested in GIS? DIVA-GIS	Sunday, November 07, 2004 Posted 6:42 PM by Luigi Pacific nuts There's a Focus On...Underutilized Crops in this month's New Agriculturist On-line which includes an article on how the EU's Novel Foods Regulation is preventing market access to various products, including from the Pacific. There's also an article - reproduced below - on Canarium nuts in Vanuatu. On the islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific there is no mistaking the nangai nut season. At dusk, villages reverberate to the steady rhythm of knife on nut as villagers work to split asunder the hard outer case and reveal the soft white kernel of Canarium indicum. "We always used to eat our fill of nangai," says Chief Samson Bule pausing to berate a grandchild who grabs yet another mouthful, " but now they are worth good vatu [cash] to us." At the central airstrip of the island of Pentecost, coconut-frond baskets of nuts are loaded into the hold of the passenger aircraft that calls in three times a week, to be flown south to the capital Port Vila. Larger quantities are sent down on the inter-island trading ships. Local businessman and exporter Charles Longwah is buying the nuts. "There's huge demand. It is organically produced. It has a special texture, so unique that even those with nut allergies can enjoy nangai." Gradually exports rose fast from a few dozen kilos to 300 tonnes of nangai shipped in the shell in 2002. Principle destinations include Australia, Japan and Hawaii; but the European Union has denied access to its markets (see An unintended barrier to EU markets). More recently there have been no nangai exports at all as local demand, after promotions in local hotels and shops, has been so strong. Real benefits "It takes many tonnes of production to supply just a few centimetres of supermarket shelves," explains Longwah, "so we are way off that. But a high-value low-volume crop is just what Vanuatu's farmers need." The farmers agree with him. The value of other agricultural exports - copra, coffee and cocoa - have all crashed, and after an exciting start a few years ago even exports of the herbal and medicinal extracts of the kava plant have all but collapsed. Not only are nangai nuts economically attractive but growing them makes ecological sense too. C. indicum is a fast-growing forest tree and does well beneath the natural canopy or amongst the mix in a typical food garden clearing, where the sapling can get established while bananas, climbing yams and more are tended all around. Up on the steep slopes of central Pentecost, Harrison Barae has a grove of young nangai. "Now that there are buyers who want nangai I am happy to plant a few," he says. Are they hard to establish? "You just have to keep wild pigs or other people's cattle away. And weed around so they can get space." It will be six years before his trees fruit. Harrison, and others planting nangai now, have hopes that the market will be even better by then. Quality control However, as any novel crop grower or trader knows, money does not just grow on trees. Macadamia, brazil and cashew, all established nuts, have only maintained their value - and returns to growers - where quality and consistency of supply are guaranteed. This is why trader Charles Longwah is running training sessions on the Vanuatu islands best suited to growing nangai, to explain to motivated farmers how to do all that it takes to produce top grade product. In his office-cum-depot, with shelves brimming with jars and packets of nangai ready for sale, he is cautiously optimistic about its potential. "There are a lot of other countries around the Pacific rim who'd like to grow and export nangai. I just want to make sure that Vanuatu gets a bite at the market." * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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