The Acting Director of the Department of Industry, Lazarus Aising, has emphasized the need for more Vanuatu-made products to fill local marke

His comments follow the ongoing value-adding workshops and trainings being rolled out across the provinces since March this year, supported by V-LAB, Tasivanua, and Live & Learn.

According to Aising, the aim is to reduce reliance on imported goods by empowering local producers to develop and supply homegrown products such as kava, flour, jam, and peanut butter.

“After the training, we want to see locally made products on our shop shelves. We import a lot of items that we can produce ourselves. That’s why we’re training people to help control our domestic market,” Aising said.

Currently, an Industry team is in Santo and will begin fish processing and preservation training tomorrow, with the goal of supplying products to markets in Lakatoro and Luganville. The team is also conducting value-adding sessions focused on kava.

Previous training sessions have already taken place in several communities across Efate, Pele, Emau, and Gaua in Torba, where participants learned how to create value-added products from local crops like peanuts, root vegetables, fruits, flowers, kava, coffee, and cocoa.

Aising also encouraged more women and young girls to participate in business and entrepreneurship.

The Department says value-adding — turning locally grown produce into higher-value goods — is key to boosting community income and building a more sustainable local economy.