Fijian Staple Cassava, local name tavioka, is planted from the stems of previously harvested plants. Shorter maturing varieties need to be harvested when ready, while longer maturing varieties have the benefit of being able to be left in the ground and harvested as required, in effect storing themselves for use. Many rural households plant cassava for their own consumption as well as a cash crop for sale on the roadside or in local markets. The only real risk to the crop is if the ground gets waterlogged when the tubers may rot. This often means, in times of heavy rain, that crops are harvested to save them, creating an immediate over-supply and then a shortage until the next crop arrives. The answer is to select planting sites with good drainage. Hence the popular location of plants, as seen in this picture, in raised beds on the side of roads, often next to other crops such as sugarcane which is growing in the background.
C
assava, manihot esculenta, is, after rice, the most widely consumed food in Fiji.
Tavioka is the local name for cassava and it can be seen everywhere in Fiji, evidence of its importance as a household staple. Roadside stalls and downtown market places are where to go to buy it. A tour of Nadi market, especially on its busiest day, Saturday, reveals women piling it up in small heaps for sale. Five and ten dollar amounts are popular. That is the way most fresh things are sold in markets here, in heaps or piles rather than by weight. Fiji is not alone in recognizing cassava’s benefits,
worldwide hundreds of millions of people depend upon it. It is thought to have been originally domesticated in Brazil around 10,000 years ago and its importance as a food crop has ensured its successful migration to much of the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It usually takes around a year after planting for tavioka to be ready for harvest, although some faster maturing types are ready from six months. The cultivation of tavioka is a first choice in Fiji because the plant is hardy and produces a lot of food per pant. It is tolerant of poor soil and very dry conditions, whereas the more highly
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