Consultations on a proposed national Kava Bill drew strong turnout in Kadavu this week, with Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry officials meeting growers across several villages as they seek to shape the draft law around farmers’ real experiences. The ministry held sessions in Daviqele, Tavuki, Niudua and Kavala Village, where attendees expressed mixed views — some backing the legislation, others urging changes to better reflect local conditions.
Large numbers of Yaqona growers attended the meetings, underlining the crop’s central economic and cultural role in Kadavu. Officials said the volume and intensity of participation made clear how directly affected communities want a say in any new regulatory framework. Farmers who supported the bill welcomed measures they believed could stabilise markets and improve product standards, while critics raised concerns and proposed amendments to ensure the law matches on‑the‑ground realities.
Principal Agriculture Officer Titilia Davetanivalu, who led the Kadavu consultations for the ministry, described the exchanges as constructive and said growers’ practical experience is being used to refine the draft. “Kadavu’s farmers are central to the industry,” Davetanivalu said, noting that feedback gathered from the village meetings will be reviewed and fed back into revisions of the Bill before it is tabled in Parliament.
Ministry officials emphasised that the consultation process is iterative: the current draft is not final and will be adjusted to address issues raised by growers. They expect submissions from the Kadavu meetings to be compiled alongside input from other regional consultations, creating a consolidated set of recommendations for policymakers. A ministry statement said all feedback will be considered in the next drafting phase.
Growers at the meetings urged lawmakers to ensure the proposed law reflects local cultivation practices, supply chain realities and cultural uses of kava — a staple of social and ceremonial life in Fiji as well as an export commodity. While the Kadavu sessions focused on farmer perspectives, ministry representatives said they would also consult processors, transporters and market actors in subsequent rounds to build a comprehensive picture of the sector’s needs.
The consultations in Kadavu represent the latest step in the government’s wider engagement on kava policy, signalling an effort to balance regulatory objectives with grassroots realities. With revisions promised before tabling, the coming weeks will determine whether the Bill can reconcile differing priorities among growers and other stakeholders and produce legislation seen as workable at village level.
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