National Agriculture Expo reinforces need for increased production and farmer investment

August 13, 2026 11:10 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Ezra Toara & Kizzy Kalsakau.

Vanuatu’s first National Agriculture Expo (NAE), held on Maewo Island, reinforced the need for increased local production, improved market access and greater investment by farmers to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector.

Speaking during the Agriculture programme on Capitol FM107 with Kizzy Kalsakau, Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Biosecurity (MALFB), Timothy Tumukon, said the Expo brought together more than 600 farmers, producers and other stakeholders and provided an opportunity to identify challenges and lessons for the sector.

Tumukon said one of the key developments was a new financing facility intended to help farmers access loans at a lower interest rate.

He said around VT900 million was being allocated to the facility, with loans expected to be offered at an interest rate of five per cent. The National Bank of Vanuatu has already been involved in processing applications under the government financing initiative.

The DG said greater access to affordable finance must be accompanied by a change in the way farmers approach production.

He said many farmers continue to operate on a small scale, which limits production volumes and contributes to high prices in local markets.

“Farmers need to change the way they think about farming.

“They need to change the way they look at money,” Tumukon said.

He said Vanuatu currently imports large quantities of basic food products, including rice, noodles, fish, meat and processed foods, despite having the potential to increase local production.

DG Tumukon said increasing domestic agricultural production would help reduce the country’s dependence on imported food and provide farmers with stronger opportunities to supply local markets.

He also pointed to the importance of improving the business knowledge of farmers, particularly in calculating production costs, profit and loss.

According to Tumukon, farmers need better support to understand the cost of producing crops and determine prices that allow them to remain profitable while keeping food affordable for consumers.

The Ministry is also working to strengthen links between farmers and buyers through contract farming arrangements.

Tumukon said the approach would allow farmers to work directly with buyers to determine production requirements and supply markets, including hotels, restaurants, retailers and fresh-food outlets.

He said the Ministry is also focusing on improving the quality of agricultural products, particularly cocoa.

Farmers, he said, need to pay greater attention to harvesting, fermentation and drying processes to ensure Vanuatu’s cocoa meets international market standards.

“Quality is very important,” Tumukon said, stressing that producing higher-quality products would help maintain consumer confidence and encourage buyers to return to Vanuatu’s farmers.

The Expo also demonstrated the potential of Maewo Island to increase agricultural production.

Tumukon said Maewo has significant undeveloped land and potential for expanding production, including cocoa and other food crops.

He said the government wants to support farmers with land preparation and access to machinery, while also encouraging farmers to contribute to production costs rather than relying entirely on government assistance.

“For far too long, the government has been giving out free handouts,” he said, calling for a greater partnership between government and farmers.

Tumukon said farmers must be prepared to invest more in their businesses while government provides the necessary support and infrastructure to enable production.

He also confirmed that the next NAE is expected to be held in Luganville.

However, he said the Expo may not necessarily be held every year because of the cost involved. Instead, the Ministry intends to measure the economic and social impact of each event before deciding how frequently it should be conducted.

Tumukon said the government needs to assess whether the money invested in the Expo generates sufficient economic returns.

He said the ultimate objective is to use the Expo and other agricultural programmes to strengthen the productive sector, increase local food production and create stronger economic opportunities for farmers across Vanuatu.

The first NAE on Maewo Island has therefore provided the Ministry with lessons that it says will guide future agricultural programmes and efforts to develop Vanuatu’s farming sector.