Integrated farm-to-export system now operational at Santo National Packhouse
June 23, 2026 11:36 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
The official commissioning of the Santo National Packhouse marks more than the opening of a new facility, with the Government describing it as the completion of Vanuatu’s first fully integrated farm-to-export system designed to connect local producers directly with international markets.
According to the Ministry of Trade and Commerce (MOTC), the system links farmers with standards, certification, quality assurance, biosecurity and export readiness, creating a coordinated pathway aimed at improving access to overseas markets.
The packhouse was officially commissioned last Thursday by Prime Minister Jotham Napat, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Management Johnny Koanapo, Minister of Trade and Commerce Samson Samsen, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Rick Tchamako Mahe, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade Marc Ati, and Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Biosecurity Ian Toakalana Wilson.
The project forms part of the Government’s Economic Hub Policy and National Export Pathway Programme and was established following Council of Ministers Decision No. 051 of 2025, which designated the Vanuatu Bureau of Standards (VBS) as the lead agency responsible for developing, regulating and overseeing national packhouse infrastructure and export systems.
The commissioning follows the successful export of a shipment of taro to Australia in May through the newly established export pathway. The Ministry said the shipment demonstrated that Vanuatu’s new export system could meet Australia’s import requirements and international export standards.
According to the MOTC, the integrated export pathway brings together the Vanuatu Bureau of Standards, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Biosecurity Vanuatu, the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue, and private sector stakeholders under a single coordinated framework.
The Ministry said the system is intended to provide farmers, cooperatives and exporters with a central facility where produce can be received, graded, processed, packed and certified before shipment, while improving compliance with international market requirements.
During the ceremony, the Government also launched the VANU – Taste of Vanuatu national export brand, which will serve as the national identity for certified agricultural and value-added products entering overseas markets.
Future exports expected to move through the Santo National Packhouse include cassava, yams, fresh ginger, green coconuts, coconut products and value-added kava products.
The MOTC said the Santo National Packhouse is intended to serve as the national model for future packhouse developments across Vanuatu as the Government works to expand agricultural exports and economic opportunities ahead of the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence in 2030.
