After a half-hour journey along the winding Sawani-Serea Road, a team from The Sunday Times arrived at a vast flat area adorned with evenly spaced century-old rubber trees. This location, known locally as Veirapa, was once the epicenter of Fiji’s rubber industry in the Naitasiri province during the colonial period.
Fiji’s rubber industry, though small compared to sugar, copra, and bananas, thrived in certain areas like Serea, where rubber was cultivated, harvested, and processed. Historical efforts by British colonial administrators included exploring various agricultural products to enhance revenue and expand the empire.
Locals reported that the rubber plantation at Veirapa may have belonged to a Mr. Witherow, who also engaged in banana and dairy farming. A newspaper article from November 1912 in the New Zealand publication Marlborough Express highlighted the establishment of a rubber industry in Fiji, predicting the first returns for the following year.
Mr. F. Powell, a notable figure in the early 20th century, managed extensive rubber plantations across Viti Levu, taking care of hundreds of acres. The article described the layout of the rubber farms, which involved planting trees 18 feet apart with rows 8 feet wide, averaging approximately 155 trees per acre. To offset initial costs, bananas were planted between younger rubber trees until they matured.
Though it’s believed that the first rubber cuttings in Fiji came from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the distance made that impractical, leading to the use of seeds to propagate rubber trees instead. By the early 1900s, Fiji’s rubber plantations flourished due to effective management and the suitability of the local environment.
Around 500 indentured laborers worked on the plantations, where claims of exploitative treatment emerged. Despite optimistic forecasts for rubber production, the industry dwindled by the late 1920s, largely due to the global depression and natural disasters affecting the colony. The early promise seen in rubber cultivation faded, as did related industries like pineapple canning and even sugar production.
Today, remnants of this once-thriving industry are evident in the nearly barren rubber trees scattered across the fields of Serea. Rueli Rawalana, a landowner from Veirapa, shared memories of the colonial-era planters and the indentured laborers they employed. He recounted harsh treatment, where slow or late workers faced punishment from plantation owners.
Despite the industry’s decline, over 100 rubber trees remain on Rueli’s land, serving as reminders of the colonial past. He demonstrated traditional tapping techniques for extracting latex, which has various applications, from erasers to tyres. Rueli also noted that after the collapse of the rubber industry, the former plantation owner shifted focus to banana and dairy farming.
The history of rubber cultivation in Fiji traces back to the late 19th century, with early reports praising local rubber’s quality. However, expectations of a successful industry were never fully realized, with serious cultivation only taking off in the early 1900s.
Currently, the rubber trees, which can live over a century and grow up to 130 feet tall, are dwindling and may soon vanish entirely. Descendants of laborers from that era still reside in Serea, maintaining bonds with the local community. Nostalgic memories of a time when diverse groups shared resources and culture linger among older residents.
As the remnants of Fiji’s commercial rubber trees continue to age, the narrative surrounding their historical significance will soon become less tangible. This week’s story could be one of the last accounts detailing the rubber fields of Veirapa, Serea, in Naitasiri’s highlands.