The causes and consequences of taro leaf blight in Samoa and the implications for trade patterns in taro in the South Pacific region

Before 1993, tbe tare export industry in Samoa was a success story. Based o n private initiatives, the industry had developed impressively from the lat e 1960s on the basis of a market focus strategy directed towards an identif iable market segment in specific Pacific rim markets with large expatriate Polynesian populations. However, the tare industry in Samoa was decimated i n 1993 with the incidence of tare leaf blight (TLB), caused by the fungus, Phytophthora colocasiae. The fungus attacks the leaves and stems of the tar e, leading to either stunting or failure to produce a corm. In response, th e Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Meteorology (MAFFM) inst ituted a number of initiatives to control TLB, including input subsidies, d evelopment of resistant varieties, and food crop diversification. As a shor t-term measure, It developed a control package combining fungicide applicat ions and sanitation. Given that smallholders are the main producers and exp orters of tare, the adoption rate has been minimal and, hence, the level of exports has fallen to almost zero. The medium-term strategy of MAFFM has b een to introduce exotic cultivars with some known resistance or tolerance t o the disease and reasonable palatability so as to increase future smallhol der tare production. The long-term strategy is a breeding programme to buil d up the resistance in local varieties. The implications of TLB on the econ omic circumstances in Samoa, and for tare trade and domestic prices in the South Pacific region are also explored.