Efforts are underway to address a serious threat to kava production and export. Actions are being taken to reduce the number of large kava farms due to a dieback disease linked to deforestation.
This viral disease, caused by the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), has impacted kava-growing areas throughout the Pacific. In Fiji, the earliest recorded cases date back to 1934 during extensive cultivation without adequate safety measures.
The kava dieback disease significantly affected the Northern Division from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2021 to 2023, according to research. During these outbreaks, kava prices increased considerably as export markets opened up, leading farmers to engage in mass plantings. This trend resulted in large areas being deforested and the establishment of extensive plantations, moving away from traditional mixed-cropping to intensive mono-cropping.
To combat kava dieback concerns, local initiatives have been strengthened, including a recent four-day training on soil and plant health. Conducted by Rohit Lal, a soil scientist from the Pacific Community, the workshop at the Friendly North Inn in Labasa aimed to educate Northern Division farmers on the significance of maintaining plant and soil health.
“Between 2003 and 2007, the occurrence of kava dieback decreased, likely due to the lessons learned from earlier outbreaks,” Mr. Lal noted. He added that the closing of export markets led to a drop in kava prices in Taveuni, which fell from FJ$50 per kg in 2002 to FJ$20 per kg in 2004. Consequently, farmers reduced their operations and returned to smaller plots of about 1,000 plants each.
Currently, the resurgence in kava prices has prompted another wave of mass planting. Mr. Lal cautioned that without proper preventive measures, large-scale plantations could lead to a rise in kava dieback cases. He emphasized, “Prevention is crucial, and the ideal method for cultivating kava involves a traditional multi-cropping system within a partially cleared forest,” suggesting that kava should be interplanted with various crops and grown under a tree canopy.
Symptoms of the disease include infected node cuttings from diseased stems, which can spread kava dieback within nurseries or fields. CMV-infected kava plants and surrounding weeds can exhibit a variety of symptoms, with the most common being leaf mosaic, yellowing, curling, and puckering of the newest leaves.
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