Recent tests by Fiji’s Tobacco Community Enforcement Unit indicate that suki — the locally produced loose tobacco increasingly used as a cigarette substitute — may contain higher levels of nicotine than commercial cigarettes, prompting officials to warn against the widely held belief that suki is a safer option.
Manager Maleli Baleiwera said the unit carried out laboratory analyses comparing nicotine concentrations in suki and manufactured cigarettes, and the results showed suki’s nicotine content “is actually higher than those found in normal cigarettes.” He described the public perception that suki is less harmful as “incorrect and misleading,” and said that misunderstanding has helped drive its growing use in some communities.
Baleiwera outlined concerns during recent discussions held on Valley Road in Nadroga, an area identified as a hotspot for suki cultivation. Community members told authorities that land once known as the “salad bowl of Fiji” is increasingly being converted to tobacco production to meet market demand for suki. The unit says the trend is worrying because it links agricultural change with a shift toward a product that may deliver more nicotine — and therefore a higher potential for dependence — than many smokers expect.
Economic factors are also fuelling the boom in suki, Baleiwera said. “When the price of cigarettes increases, the demand for suki also rises,” he told reporters, noting that rising retail costs for manufactured tobacco have pushed some smokers toward cheaper local alternatives. That dynamic, combined with the misperception of lower harm, has complicated public health efforts to curb tobacco use.
The Tobacco Community Enforcement Unit is now looking for ways to respond on several fronts. Baleiwera said officials are exploring measures to curb demand, including public education to correct mistaken beliefs about suki’s safety, and engaging with farmers about alternative crops. He also said the unit is investigating non-smoking uses for tobacco as a means to reduce reliance on tobacco cultivation for livelihoods in areas like Nadroga.
Local leaders and health advocates have long warned about the social and economic costs of tobacco farming and use in Fiji, but the new nicotine-testing results give renewed urgency to outreach and intervention strategies. Higher nicotine content in a cheaper, locally available product could accelerate nicotine dependence in communities that shift from commercial brands to suki for cost reasons.
Officials did not release detailed laboratory data such as exact nicotine concentrations or the testing methodology; Baleiwera’s announcement described the findings in comparative terms only. The Tobacco Community Enforcement Unit has signalled it will provide further information as it finalises its analysis and develops targeted responses with agricultural and health stakeholders.
This development marks a shift in the public conversation about suki, from an informal, lower-cost alternative to cigarettes to a product that may pose equal or greater risks because of its nicotine potency. Authorities in Nadroga and other cultivation areas are now weighing how to balance public health messaging, economic impacts on farmers, and enforcement measures to curb illicit or harmful tobacco use.