Neoliberal Globalisation, “Exotic” Agro‐exports, and Local Change in the Pacific Islands: A Study of the Fijian Kava Sector

Abstract

The economically vulnerable and geographically isolated states and territories of the Pacific Islands find themselves increasingly powerless to resist the recent accelerated diffusion of globalisation and the economic options that this entails. Neoliberal policy has arrived in the ocean region later than elsewhere in the tropical world and in the developing world in general. However, it now almost exclusively frames regional and state policy agendas, and is profoundly restructuring economies and societies across the region. Agriculture, by far the leading economic sector in Pacific Island countries, has been targeted specifically for reform. The cultivation of non‐traditional agricultural exports has formed the centrepiece of the evolving strategy. As well as “staple” exports such as sugar, copra, and taro going to non‐traditional markets, “exotic” niche products are being developed for export to high income markets in Europe, Asia and North America. A major example of such a product is kava – a “traditional” crop used in the preparation of a ceremonial and/or social drink. Psycho‐ and physiological properties have been identified in the plant by the pharmaceutical industry that is marketing a range of kava products. Produced widely across the Pacific, Fiji is the major export source. This paper traces the evolution of globalisation in the Pacific Islands, placing the current wave of neoliberalism in its historical context. It goes on to outline the evolution of the Fijian kava export sector, and investigates some of the local socio‐economic impacts of recent market growth. Given the evidence presented in this study, the paper asks if the power relations evolving under contemporary neoliberal globalisation are likely to be any different from those that existed during colonial globalisation.