After a half-hour journey along the winding Sawani-Serea Road, The Sunday Times team arrived at a vast open area featuring rows of century-old rubber trees standing tall in the fields. This location, known locally as Veirapa, was once the center of Fiji’s rubber industry in the Naitasiri province during colonial times.
Fiji’s rubber industry, although small compared to sugar, copra, and bananas, saw Serea emerge as one of the few regions where rubber was cultivated, harvested, and processed. The efforts of British colonial administrators are evident in the varied agricultural experiments conducted to enhance revenue and bolster the empire.
While the original rubber farmers from Serea have passed away, local residents believe that the extensive plantation may have belonged to a Mr. Witherow, who also had interests in banana and dairy farming in the 20th century. An article from November 1912 in the New Zealand newspaper Marlborough Express noted that Mr. F. Powell was among the early significant rubber farmers on the main island, Viti Levu, managing several plantations.
The article described the farming techniques employed in Fiji, indicating that rubber trees were planted 18 feet apart in rows spaced eight feet apart, with an average of 155 trees per acre. To help cover initial costs until the trees were ready to be tapped, bananas were cultivated between them. However, within six or seven years, the rubber trees thrived into a substantial forest.
Historical accounts suggest that Fiji’s rubber tree stumps were sourced from Ceylon, but logistical challenges made this impractical. Consequently, seeds were utilized for propagation, with plants transplanted to fields at around 18 months of age. The health of early 1900s plantations was attributed to effective management and the region’s suitability for rubber cultivation.
Approximately 500 indentured laborers worked the plantations, their conditions challenged narratives that claimed they were enslaved. Even though the outlook for Fiji’s rubber industry appeared promising, it declined significantly by the late 1920s. Production estimates from 1912 forecasted yields of over 419 cwt., generating substantial income, yet the industry ultimately faded into obscurity.
The collapse has been linked to the global depression of the late 1920s and severe weather events that devastated many areas. This downturn affected not just rubber but also other industries such as pineapple canning and fishing, leading to widespread business failures.
Today, only the remnants of rubber trees remain in Serea, Wainadoi, and other parts of Fiji. Local landowner Rueli Rawalana recalls that during the colonial era, Serea had two major planters, Vilive and Witherow, who employed indentured laborers, including many from India. He recounts stories of harsh treatment by plantation owners who wielded whips to maintain control over workers.
Rueli’s land still hosts over 100 rubber trees, echoing the ambitions of an industry that sought to enrich the colonial powers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He reminisces about the rubber processing facility that once operated on a nearby hill.
During a recent visit, Rueli demonstrated the traditional rubber tapping process, which involved carving the trunk of the tree to collect latex, a sap rich in rubber. The harvested latex was then processed for various products. He also shared details about old equipment and structures that still exist as reminders of the industry that once thrived in the area.
Fiji’s own native rubber species had been noted as early as 1877, but significant cultivation didn’t take off until the early 1900s. Historical records reveal that local rubber plants produced a valuable latex that, despite initial optimism, failed to sustain a lasting industry.
As the once commercially significant rubber trees increasingly age, their presence diminishes, leaving behind little evidence of the rich history they represent. The stories of Serea’s rubber heritage, such as those shared by Rueli, might soon belong to the past, marking an era of industrious ambitions in Fiji’s agricultural landscape.