Ground-breaking news:
The Kava Act has been part of Vanuatu "law" since 2002, but there has been no enforcement mechanism or particular standards to enforce. Finally, there is a draft regulation being developed that will create specific standards for producers, processors, and exporters, as well as specify penalties for those in violation of the stipulations of the act.
Among what look to be the requirements:
*Farmers are to list the kava variety, planting and harvest date (to make sure it meets the 3-year age for the domestic market, 5 year for the export market) village of origin, cultivar type, etc. and provide that information to the exporter, who must convey it to the buyer openly and honestly.
*Fines of up to 1,000,000 Vatu for violations, and/or 6 months in prison, including fines for selling two-day and wichmanii kava, or for mixing other non-drinking kavas in a bag with noble types to increase weight.
*No use of fertilizers and testing to ensure purity and organic growing methods (So Ah-HA to the fellow who said we use kava grown with fertilizers. NOBODY who gets Vanuatu kava is likely to have ANY fertilizers on their crop! Another video on that soon...)
This is by no means a complete and/or accurate representation of what is in the works, which is pages long, but as soon as the full text is available for review, you can bet I will post it! Basically, appellation of origin of all kava types must follow the stock from the grower, to the processor, to the exporter, and be traceable back to the village of origin and the farmer responsible for cultivation. This is not yet law, but hopefully, it will be soon! I for one am VERY excited about it.
I have long suspected that many exporters and/or processors have mislabeled kava to make it appear that they have a variety that is more rare than that which they are actually selling, noble or not, or "spiked" noble kavas with other types. My suspicion is particularly raised with the color of many tinctures on the market presenting with the "wrong" color. It is easy to get an NIRA and have the most prevalent lactone show up as kavain. It is entirely possible to mix 1/2 tudei and 1/2 noble, and wind up with a high kavain test that contains the soluble solids found in varieties not recommended for drink.
This will make kava much the same as Scotch Whisky, Prosciutto Di Parma, Jamon Iberico, etc. You know that variety X came from village Y, and violators will be held to task. Frankly, everyone who sells Vanuatu kava should be totally stoked with this development. There is still no differentiation as far as lateral roots vs. stump root, like in Fiji (waka, lewena) but it appears an outstanding first step towards regulation of the trade. In some ways, it goes further than the Fiji method. It is particularly important if we are to move to get kava registered as a safe food, which in my opinion, it is, and would mark a great step forward for all of us.
Having more trust in my suppliers and home village than most, I am ready to do cartwheels! If there is anything that we can do to advocate for passage, I will absolutely be on it and keep you informed. Thanks again for listening to my long-winded ranting about technocratic stuff, and I will check back on this as soon as I have more news! Hopefully, they will also specify penalties for buyers/processors who try to short-change growers and buy at rates below those specified by the VCMB - which is probably a big contributor to some growers mixing in non-noble kavas with drinkable types. So, cheers to everyone who buys legit kava from reputable suppliers!
Now, let's ROLL with it! ;-) Woo-hoo!
Remember, "A rising tide lifts all ships." What is good for your kava business is probably good for mine! So some of you FL folks that watch from the sidelines - don't hate - celebrate!
Alez!
Very Truly,
Iahi (Andrew)
The Kava Act has been part of Vanuatu "law" since 2002, but there has been no enforcement mechanism or particular standards to enforce. Finally, there is a draft regulation being developed that will create specific standards for producers, processors, and exporters, as well as specify penalties for those in violation of the stipulations of the act.
Among what look to be the requirements:
*Farmers are to list the kava variety, planting and harvest date (to make sure it meets the 3-year age for the domestic market, 5 year for the export market) village of origin, cultivar type, etc. and provide that information to the exporter, who must convey it to the buyer openly and honestly.
*Fines of up to 1,000,000 Vatu for violations, and/or 6 months in prison, including fines for selling two-day and wichmanii kava, or for mixing other non-drinking kavas in a bag with noble types to increase weight.
*No use of fertilizers and testing to ensure purity and organic growing methods (So Ah-HA to the fellow who said we use kava grown with fertilizers. NOBODY who gets Vanuatu kava is likely to have ANY fertilizers on their crop! Another video on that soon...)
This is by no means a complete and/or accurate representation of what is in the works, which is pages long, but as soon as the full text is available for review, you can bet I will post it! Basically, appellation of origin of all kava types must follow the stock from the grower, to the processor, to the exporter, and be traceable back to the village of origin and the farmer responsible for cultivation. This is not yet law, but hopefully, it will be soon! I for one am VERY excited about it.
I have long suspected that many exporters and/or processors have mislabeled kava to make it appear that they have a variety that is more rare than that which they are actually selling, noble or not, or "spiked" noble kavas with other types. My suspicion is particularly raised with the color of many tinctures on the market presenting with the "wrong" color. It is easy to get an NIRA and have the most prevalent lactone show up as kavain. It is entirely possible to mix 1/2 tudei and 1/2 noble, and wind up with a high kavain test that contains the soluble solids found in varieties not recommended for drink.
This will make kava much the same as Scotch Whisky, Prosciutto Di Parma, Jamon Iberico, etc. You know that variety X came from village Y, and violators will be held to task. Frankly, everyone who sells Vanuatu kava should be totally stoked with this development. There is still no differentiation as far as lateral roots vs. stump root, like in Fiji (waka, lewena) but it appears an outstanding first step towards regulation of the trade. In some ways, it goes further than the Fiji method. It is particularly important if we are to move to get kava registered as a safe food, which in my opinion, it is, and would mark a great step forward for all of us.
Having more trust in my suppliers and home village than most, I am ready to do cartwheels! If there is anything that we can do to advocate for passage, I will absolutely be on it and keep you informed. Thanks again for listening to my long-winded ranting about technocratic stuff, and I will check back on this as soon as I have more news! Hopefully, they will also specify penalties for buyers/processors who try to short-change growers and buy at rates below those specified by the VCMB - which is probably a big contributor to some growers mixing in non-noble kavas with drinkable types. So, cheers to everyone who buys legit kava from reputable suppliers!
Now, let's ROLL with it! ;-) Woo-hoo!
Remember, "A rising tide lifts all ships." What is good for your kava business is probably good for mine! So some of you FL folks that watch from the sidelines - don't hate - celebrate!
Alez!
Very Truly,
Iahi (Andrew)