Find Agriculture expertise in Samoa
- Industry
- Development
Industry
Agriculture, along with forestry and fishing, contribute 9.5% to Samoa’s GDP (2010) and 23.7% of land is given over to agricultural use. The primary agricultural products include coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee and cocoa. The principal agricultural export products are fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro and beer, which go mainly to New Zealand, Australia, US and Indonesia. Samoan agriculture can be classified into three categories: subsistence farming, semi-commercial and commercial farming. The majority of farmers in Samoa fall into the subsistence category with surplus sold for cash. Development of commercial farming on a larger scale is held back by the lack of good quality soil and land, as well as the cost of export and the effects of the annual cyclone season. The country’s traditional culture and the land tenure system influence the contemporary system which comprises of three types of land tenure: freehold, public and customary. The government ministry in charge of the sector is the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Development
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is divided into six subsections which manage the development of various aspects of the industry in Samoa. The long term vision of the ministry is to see substantial growth by 2020 after a period of restructuring which is taking place from 2009-2014. More focused goals include increasing commercial production by 50%, doubling the area of mixed-crop land use and increasing food independence, particularly with regards to fruit and vegetable imports. To that end the ministry has issued a new Fruit and Vegetable Sector Plan which is a subsection of the Agriculture Sector Plan (ASP). The overall aim of the ASP – which includes plans for crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries – is to double the overall contribution made by these sectors to GDP over a period of four years. It is hoped that by 2015 these four contributors will account for 20% of Samoa’s GDP.
Agriculture organisations in Samoa | |
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Ministry of Agriculture |
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