Agribusiness in the South Pacific: The Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are a small archipelago nation located north of Australia in the southern Pacific Ocean. With a total territory of almost 29.000 square kilometers, the Solomon Islands are somewhat smaller than Maryland. Similarly, their landscape is mainly dominated by mountainous, and coral reefs line the shore. Formerly a British colony, the Solomon Islands have been independent since 1978; however, they have struggled consolidating their self-government. Currently, the country has a total population of approximately 635.000 citizens, some 22% of which live in an urban setting, notably the capital city of Honiara with little over 70.000 inhabitants. Therefore, the majority of Solomon islanders live in a rural setting. Likewise, the current national annual gross domestic product (GDP) is about US$1.2 billion and the country has experienced positive economic growth upwards of 2.0% in recent years. The Solomon Island’s economy is divided into 53% agriculture, 8% manufacturing, and 39% services. Similarly, it is estimated that the agricultural industry employs some 75% of the national labor force, while manufacturing employs about 5% and services employ another 20%. Meanwhile, the agriculture industry utilizes only 4% of the national territory, while another 79% is forested.

In terms of natural resources, the Solomon Islands have fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, and nickel. Within manufacturing, the national industry is focused on mining, fish, particularly tuna, and timber, particularly teak. Meanwhile, the country’s agricultural industry has as main products cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, fruit, cattle, pigs, fish, and timber. In terms of trade, during 2015, the Solomon Islands imported US$438 million worth of goods and exported US$648 million, resulting in a positive trade balance of US$210 million. Furthermore, the main export of the Solomon Islands, representing 76% or US$495 million of the country’s total, are wood and forestry products, such as teak logs. Simultaneously, the country’s main imports are mineral commodities, mainly petroleum, and machines, such as computers and excavators. Likewise, the country’s main trading partners are China, Australia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and the European Union, amongst others.

Agribusiness in the South Pacific: The Solomon Islands

In recent years, the average per capita protein intake of animal origin amongst the population in the Solomon Islands has been of 17 grams daily. Meanwhile, cereals, roots, and tubers supply 67% of the average food energy intake in the country. Simultaneously, land distribution and output in the Solomon Islands have evolved throughout the last half century. Back in 1961, permanent pastures and meadows in the country covered 5.000 hectares, while arable land covered 10.000 hectares and permanent crops accounted for 40.000 hectares. More recently, by 2014, permanent pastures and meadows had increased to 8.000 hectares, while arable land represented 20.000 hectares and permanent crops covered 80.000 hectares. Meanwhile, in 1961, the cereals market in the Solomon Islands utilized 115 hectares of land and yielded approximately 200 metric tons annually. Finally, in 2014, the country devoted little over 1.500 hectares of land to cereals production and yielded almost 2.800 metric tons.

(Read more about Agroforestry and Opportunities in Latin America)