Solomon Islands expands cassava sales to Australia but remains a small Pacific supplier

Sales rise sharply from a low base

Solomon Islands has become one of the fastest-growing Pacific suppliers of cassava to Australia, according to the Solomon Star, citing a new regional commodities report. Australian import data compiled by Pacific Trade Invest Australia show that the value of shipments from Solomon Islands increased from A$15,000 in 2020 to A$110,183 in 2024. Import volume rose from 13,910 kg to 82,810 kg over the same period.

The expansion was not uninterrupted. Shipments reached A$122,295 and 90,230 kg in 2023 before declining in both value and volume in 2024. Even after that retreat, the 2024 trade was more than seven times its 2020 value and nearly six times its initial volume, demonstrating how quickly a small export channel can develop when Australian buyers and local processors establish a regular route.

Solomon Islands nevertheless remains a minor supplier compared with the Pacific market leaders. Fiji delivered A$1,505,732 of cassava to Australia in 2024, equivalent to 521,880 kg, while Tonga supplied A$1,286,037 and 1,146,185 kg. The Solomon Islands share was therefore still modest within Pacific shipments worth A$2,903,601 and totalling 1,752,375 kg.

Pacific suppliers gain Australian market share

Pacific Trade Invest Australia reported that Pacific countries supplied 55% of Australia's cassava imports by value and 61.5% by volume in 2024. In 2020, their shares had been 37.6% and 52.4%, respectively. Total Australian cassava imports reached A$5,276,036 and 2,849,944 kg in 2024, placing Solomon Islands in a growing regional supply base but also exposing it to competition from established exporters.

The commercial opportunity is supported by buyer interest. The Island Sun reported in November 2024 that Sape Farm in North Guadalcanal planned initial shipments of two containers of yellow cassava during the first quarter of 2025, followed by a target of two containers per month. A Melbourne importer was said to be capable of selling two containers of Solomon Islands yellow cassava per week.

Earlier trade established the route. Environment Media reported that Varivao Holdings exported a 20-foot refrigerated container carrying 14 metric tonnes of frozen cassava to Melbourne in March 2022. The company sourced the yellow cassava from a farm in Northwest Guadalcanal. ABC had reported an initial 14-metric-tonne shipment to Melbourne in 2020, supplied by Sape Farm and other growers on the Guadalcanal Plains.

Cold storage and compliance set the growth limit

Scaling the business will depend on production, processing and refrigerated logistics rather than demand alone. Environment Media reported that a cassava export packhouse at Sape Farm includes cold storage operating at minus 18 degrees Celsius and has secured an Australian buyer. The facility planned to purchase cassava from registered farmers at SBD3.50 per kg. Agricultural officials have also argued that tillers and other equipment are needed because cultivation based mainly on manual labour is costly and restricts economies of scale.

Biosecurity adds a firm operational threshold. Biosecurity Solomon Islands says cassava exported to Australia must have a phytosanitary certificate and be peeled and frozen. Australian import conditions also require inspection or testing by the exporting country's plant protection authority and certification that consignments are free from specified quarantine pests. For growers, processors and traders, sustained growth will therefore require consistent farm supply, compliant preparation and dependable cold-chain shipping. The 2024 decline shows that rapid percentage growth from a small base does not yet amount to stable, large-scale capacity.