Efforts are underway to mitigate a significant threat to kava production and export due to a disease known as kava dieback, which is exacerbated by deforestation. The kava dieback disease, caused by the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), has impacted kava-growing regions across the Pacific.
In Fiji, the earliest recorded instances of this disease date back to 1934 when large-scale cultivation began without adequate precautionary measures. Research indicates that the Northern Division suffered severely from kava dieback between 1998 and 2003, and again from 2021 to 2023. During these times, kava prices rose sharply as new export markets opened, leading farmers to expand plantings significantly.
This expansion involved extensive deforestation and the establishment of large plantations, resulting in a move away from traditional mixed-cropping systems towards intensive mono-cropping practices.
To combat the kava dieback issue, local initiatives have strengthened with a four-day training program focused on soil and plant health. The workshop, conducted by soil scientist Rohit Lal from the Pacific Community, aimed to educate Northern Division farmers about the significance of maintaining healthy soils and plants.
Lal noted that between 2003 and 2007, kava dieback cases declined, a possible outcome of lessons learned from prior outbreaks. During this period, export markets had closed, causing kava prices in Taveuni to fall from FJ$50 per kilogram in 2002 to FJ$20 per kilogram in 2004. Consequently, farmers reduced their operations, converting large plantations into smaller plots with approximately 1,000 plants.
Currently, rising kava prices have prompted another wave of large-scale planting. However, Lal expressed concerns that without necessary protective measures, the re-emergence of extensive plantations could lead to a resurgence in kava dieback cases. He emphasized that prevention is essential, advocating for traditional multi-cropping systems in partially cleared forests, where kava is inter-planted with various crops under a tree canopy.
Symptoms of kava dieback can arise from infected stem cuttings introduced into nurseries or fields. Infected kava plants may exhibit a variety of symptoms, with the most common being leaf mosaic, yellowing, curling, and puckering of the youngest leaves on the stem.
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