Kava (Piper methysticum)-An Important Source of Income for the Rural Farmers in Fiji Islands
Received Date: Nov 20, 2017 / Accepted Date: Dec 12, 2017 / Published Date: Dec 21, 2017
Abstract
Kava (Piper methysticum) production is decreasing very rapidly on a yearly basis. Kava is the traditional ceremonial drink and one of the major sources of income for the farmers in Fiji Islands. Kava farming is practiced by many Fijians in the highlands of Fiji. Fiji is a tropical country, prompt to cyclones and adverse weather conditions, these adverse weather conditions has continuously contributed towards decreasing kava production in the country and other Pacific Islands. There are 12 cultivars of kava distributed across the Pacific Island and Fiji itself acquires 12% of the total cultivars, besides Vanuatu which acquire 82% of the cultivars. Kava takes minimum of 3 years to attain its full maturity and in that 3 years plants go through various kinds of survival pressure and apart from weather conditions, Kava farmers face crop management issues such as Kava pests and diseases.
Keywords: Kava; Cultivars; Fijians; Pacific island; Vanuatu; Tropical country; Fiji islands
Citation: Prasad AA (2018) Kava (Piper methysticum)-An Important Source of Income for the Rural Farmers in Fiji Islands. Adv Crop Sci Tech 6: 325. Doi: 10.4172/2329-8863.1000325
Copyright: © 2018 Prasad AA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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