Tonga
Citrus orchards (established by HORT/2014/077) have been maintained by local stakeholders and were not adversely affected by the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano eruption and associated tidal waves. Trees at the Nishi orchard were harvested in April to June 2022, with strong local consumer demand. We anticipate orchards elsewhere on Tonga’tapu and Eua having their first commercial harvest in 2023. We have constructed a large windbreak netting structure at the Nishi orchard to evaluate potential cyclone mitigation options, with wind speed monitoring equipment currently being sourced. A vegetative-protection structure option will also be established on Eua Island. A plant propagation capacity-building strategy is being finalised. We have amended our grafting methodology to improve success rate and identified suitable trainers in Australia for the capacity-building of our team and partners. Plant propagation training workshops are planned for late 2022.
Samoa
To better understand the local citrus value chains, a rapid analysis of vendors has been undertaken. This study reported 98% of local citrus came from Savaii Island, specifically Falealupo, Papa Sataua and Tufutafoe, validating our village selection. Two community forums have been held to brief community stakeholders. Human Research Ethics Approval has been gained. A large farmer survey is currently underway in Savaii to document farmer practice, resistors and enablers, and enable farmers and household selection.
A first version citrus production manual (with Tongan and Samoa language versions) and value adding training manual have been prepared. Training workshops (production, postharvest and value adding) are planned for mid-October 2022.