Research that works for developing countries and Australia

 

Tongan tropical fruit production - improving genetic diversity and production capacity building

Project ID:
HORT/2006/173: Tongan tropical fruit production - improving genetic diversity and production capacity building
Collaborating Countries:
Tonga, Fiji
Commissioned Organisation:
Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Fiji
Project Leader
Dr Mary Taylor
Phone: 679 3370733
Fax: 679 3370021
Email: maryt@spc.int
Collaborating Institutions:
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries, Tonga
Project Budget:
$399,984
Project Duration:
01/06/2008 - 31/05/2011
ACIAR Research Program Manager
Mr Les Baxter
Project Overview

Tonga wishes to improve the domestic supply of tropical fruits at a subsistence and local trade level, with longer-term potential for export income. An earlier feasibility study (HORT/2006/108) found significant scope to increase the production of the Tongan fruit industry and thus increase household income levels, with opportunities for import replacement, growth of the existing domestic market and, in the longer term, Pacific Inter-island trade, export to New Zealand, Australia and other regional markets. This project aims to increase the production, productivity and technical capacity of the Tongan tropical fruits industry with an emphasis on the local market. Activities include introduction of new improved cultivars of tropical fruits both from repositories and collections currently in the country and from a range of new tropical fruit species from Australia. This will take place along with development of production packages and improvements in the capacity of Tongans to propagate, produce, harvest, package and market fruit.