Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica says Fiji is ready to seize the opportunity presented by the rising global demand for specialty coffee, which continues to outpace supply.
Kamikamica highlighted this during the ONA Coffee Welcome Dinner in Nadi, emphasising that over the years, Fiji’s sugar, kava, and root crop industries have successfully transitioned into high-value horticulture making specialty coffee a logical next step.
He says ONA Coffee will be visiting farms in Ra Province today to meet growers who have already harvested wild coffee, and inspect proposed sites for processing facilities.
The Minister says with appropriate cultivation and processing, coffee can meet the strict quality standards of the international market.
He says Fiji’s development strategy identifies agriculture as a pillar of inclusive growth, job creation and export diversification.
Kamikamica further says the climate zones of highlands mirror conditions in acknowledged coffee origins; volcanic soils are fertile and rural communities possess generational knowledge of land stewardship.
He says the question is not whether coffee can grow here—it already does—but how it moves from scattered production to a disciplined and quality-driven industry that meets the requirements of discerning buyers.
The Minister adds that private-sector partners have also shared market intelligence and offered equipment demonstrations.
