Rising demand for kava has pushed production higher, with one of Gaua’s leading farmers, Banabas Philip, shipping more than 60 bags of dried kava each year to his three buyers in Santo.

Speaking to VBTC News, Mr. Philip said he manages one of the biggest kava farms in South Gaua, with his main market being dried kava.
“Out of one year, I transport between 50 to 80 bags,” he explained.

Last month alone, Mr. Philip sold six bags of dried kava at the market price of 3,550 vatu per kilo, earning more than 800,000 vatu.
“This price is from good quality dried kava,” he said.

Mr. Philip described the process of preparing his kava for sale:
“I go to the garden, harvest, wash the kava, dry it properly, put it in bags, then ship it to Santo after paying road and freight costs.”

With three regular buyers in Santo, Mr. Philip said the companies already know the quality of his kava and process payment quickly after delivery.

Currently, he farms around three hectares of kava, but thanks to income from his dried kava business, he has already purchased a new tractor to expand his operations to 15 hectares.