By RODRICK DESURI
Auki
A young Kava farmer from West Kwaio, Malaita Province, is encouraging other young people who have nothing to do at home to start planting Kava as a means to generate income.
John Kwai, who is currently harvesting his Kava, expressed this sentiment during an interview with the Island Sun Auki in Auki town on Monday, November 10, 2025.
Kava has been known as one of the commodities that many in Malaita Province have benefited from.
He stressed that Kava farming doesn’t require labor costs and hard work; it only needs frequent visits and cleaning.
Kwai said Kava farming also doesn’t require people with certain qualifications.
“It can be a girl or boy, an old person or a woman. What is needed is an area where you want to do farming that has soft ground and is fertile.
“If you plant your Kava plants and after 2 weeks it doesn’t look healthy, it means that the ground structure isn’t good for farming,” he said.
Kwai is currently harvesting his small plot and sells it whenever he needs money for his personal needs.
“I only harvest and dry my Kava for sale whenever I need to and have planned ahead for urgent occasions. If I don’t and still have money with me, I will not harvest my Kava,” he said.
In the Solomon Islands, Kava is a lucrative export commodity that generates income for farmers, communities, and the national economy.
It is a high-value cash crop that boosts rural livelihoods, helps fund essential family and community needs, and contributes to the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
The government is actively working to increase Kava exports and to develop the industry further to support rural employment and economic growth. Solomon Islands Kava is often praised for its health benefits.
Regular consumption of kava can help reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality, easing conditions such as insomnia.
For feedback, contact: [email protected]
If I am right youths in this age group 18-35 years old made up about 60-70 % of our population or majority of our population and also many of them are not employed as well. I suggest that those who are unemployed should employed themselves or get themselves busy with money generating activities like kava farming, cocoa farming and copra instead of roaming around in urban centers in search of jobs which are scarce both in the government sector and private sector. The Solomon islands government our government of the day should support farmers based in rural areas who are engaged in kava farming, cocoa farming, copra production instead of using taxpayers money to fund unnecessary overseers trips which to me produce little or no benefits to our country.