Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) has been working to establish the National Fijian Quality Standard for kava. This quality standard has been described in the Fijian Kava Quality Manual, released in 2017. The manual touches on all aspects of kava including: transplanting seedlings, soil, fertilizers, pests, harvest, post harvest, storage, and transport. It also emphasizes testing and best practices throughout. It's a great document. For us at Fiji Fresh, one of the most interesting takeaways is that PHAMA documented at least 13 unique kava varieties in Fiji.
Another interesting finding is that there are non-kava plants that look very similar to kava. If these plants are mixed with kava they can create nausea and decrease potency. The stem and leaves of this 'false kava' are difficult to differentiate from piper methysticum, but the roots are very different. This last bit is a little concerning for those who purchase exported powder, but since we at Fiji Fresh only import whole roots, it's easy for us to know that we only buy real kava.
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