Vanuatu continues to rely heavily on imported food products, according to the latest trade report from the Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics.

In February, the country continued importing food items that local farmers and producers could potentially supply domestically.

The latest figures show that imports of chicken and eggs alone were valued at more than VT70 million, with most chicken imported from Australia and eggs from Fiji.

The high level of imports is again raising major questions about domestic production in Vanuatu, particularly in the poultry sector.

Local egg production remains a significant challenge, with many farmers pointing to the high cost of feed and limited access to chicks as the main barriers to growth.

One farmer on Efate is trying to help solve that issue.

William Lolly, owner of Tariala Farm, says he now focuses on supplying local chicks to farmers across Vanuatu and currently produces around 2,000 chicks every week.

“It is good for us Ni-Vanuatu to open our eyes and look beyond, to try and produce our own products and reduce imports. I alone am not enough to meet the market demand in the country, so I need more people to come with the same mindset of producing our own chickens to reduce imports,” he said.

Despite growth among local farmers, competition remains strong between imported and locally produced products.

Many imported food products continue to sell at lower prices than local goods, making it difficult for local producers to compete.

On the trade reform side, the newly established Vanuatu Competition and Consumer Commission is working to address the issue.

Bettyrose Kaltapau from External Trade says proposals are now being prepared to go before the Council of Ministers.

The proposals will look at regulations that can encourage local production and protect emerging industries.

“One of the policy options is safeguard measures. For example, if Vanuatu is producing eggs locally but another country is dumping excess stock into our market, we may need to temporarily stop imports. The same could apply if a cyclone damages our local egg industry, to allow the small industry time to recover and grow,” she said.

The issue of imports versus local production has remained a concern for many years, but officials say the next steps could help create stronger support for farmers and reduce the country’s dependence on imported food.