Vanuatu’s Tahitian lime sector has been dealt a blow after New Zealand stopped importing the fruit in 2024 following a surge of cheaper supplies from Vietnam. But a fresh opportunity has emerged: Market Fresh in Melbourne has agreed to accept a 100-kilogram trial shipment from Vanuatu’s February 2026 harvest, officials confirm.
Agriculture Department Director Antoine Ravo says large shipments from Vietnam — which began arriving in New Zealand in 2022 — were the main reason Wellington halted imports of Vanuatu limes in 2024. “New Zealand stopped taking our Tahitian limes in 2024 after Vietnam flooded their market,” Mr Ravo said, and the department is working with farmers to strengthen domestic demand from Efate and Santo in the meantime.
Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Biosecurity (MALFB) Timothy Tumukon told reporters that export pathways to Australia have already been developed by the Biosecurity Department, clearing an important regulatory step for future shipments. “Market Fresh in Melbourne has accepted a 100kg trial for the February 2026 harvest,” Mr Tumukon confirmed, calling the arrangement “a promising start” for re-establishing overseas trade.
The MALFB is also urging farmers not to wait for export markets to reopen and to explore local opportunities. Mr Tumukon highlighted the potential to add value through juicing and bottling, and to supply hotels and the tourist market. He said the ministry’s next five-year plan will focus on island-level production strategies to bring down local prices while ensuring farmers have sufficient volumes to sell.
There are currently 12 registered exporters for Tahitian lime in Vanuatu — 10 on Efate and 2 in Santo — giving the sector a small but organised base for rebuilding exports.
Local growers say the crop can deliver meaningful household income. Export farmer Mrs Hellena Donald of Pangpang Village, Efate, described how her family’s operation has grown. Mrs Donald says she started planting with five stumps in 2019, expanded to about 40, and now farms roughly 300 stumps across half a hectare.
She typically harvests around 150 kg for export and previously sold export fruit at about VT300 per kilo. With other local sales included, Mrs Donald says a single harvest day can bring in between VT30,000 and VT80,000 — earnings that have allowed her to invest in a truck and other root-crop production for the family.
Despite the potential, domestic supply remains limited and local prices are still high, Mr Tumukon acknowledged, a sign that more farmers need support to scale production. Officials say training, better linkages to buyers and encouragement to pursue value-added products will be priorities.
Biosecurity and MALFB will finalise the logistics for the February 2026 trial shipment to Market Fresh. If successful, the trial could pave the way for larger consignments to Australia while Vanuatu continues efforts to regain markets elsewhere. Meanwhile, farmers are being encouraged to develop local value chains — from bottled juice to hotel supply — so the industry does not rely solely on uncertain export markets.
