Biosecurity and Pest Management

The project will be region-wide and aims to address pest outbreaks, which are a major impediment to crop production in the PSIDS. Additionally, the project also works on the associated shortcomings behind those outbreaks, including lack of high-yielding, disease-free planting material and the lack of pest management protocols and expertise.

The proposed project includes nurseries for high yielding and disease resistant varieties to improve the quality of planting material, build the supply of adaptive crops, and thereby increase production through the prevention of pests and disease outbreaks. In addition, the project will also build tissue culture labs to improve the supply of uniform, disease free planting material and the safe conservation and exchange of germplasm across the PSIDS countries. Lastly, the project includes capacity development of extension staff and farmers, including digital extension tools, in order to improve knowledge and expertise regarding pest management to ensure the sustainability and local ownership of these efforts.

Although all crops grown in the Pacific SIDS are expected to benefit from the project, coconuts and taro are two examples that are expected to benefit greatly from this initiative given their high pest incidence and vulnerability.

The estimated cost is USD 22.2 million.

Digitalization, Certification and Traceability 

Currently digitalization is limited across PSIDS. Among all Asia-Pacific regions, the PSIDS have the lowest implementation rate of digital trade measures, including several certification and traceability measures that are critical for trade such as recognized certification, electronic Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary certificates, internet connection available to customs, and electronic import and export permit application and approvals. UNESCAP estimates that implementing WTO digital trade facilitation measures could reduce trade costs by 2.5 - 17.9 percent in the PSIDS. Aside from reducing costs, these measures would also increase international trade access and feasibility for PSIDS, which are essential in order to increase export volumes and revenue.

The Digitalization, Certification, and Traceability project will support development of IT systems and tools that are critically needed for the digitalization of supply chains, certification of products, and implementation traceability systems region-wide. The project will develop IT platforms and hardware to enable digitalization of agricultural trade, which would include building a digital registration system of farmers and processors. In addition to enabling trade flows, higher volume transactions, better information and transparency, and traceability, this digital platform would also provide a digital database of the agricultural supply chain, which on its own is a valuable asset and addition to the region's agricultural system. The project will also deliver training to extension staff, processors and farmers to improve their awareness and capacity to meet certification requirements.

The estimated cost is USD 137 million.

Value Chain Infrastructure

Although PSIDS are endowed with several natural assets that are ideal for niche markets, limited infrastructure across the PSIDS is perhaps the biggest bottleneck in the PSIDS agricultural food-system that is inhibiting its growth and development. In particular, limited mid-stream infrastructure, such as processing, packaging, and storage, as well as enabling infrastructure, such as road connectivity, is constraining PSIDS from capturing more value and more market share with the natural resources they already have.

The Value Chain Infrastructure project will focus on improving infrastructure for three key value-chains in the region: coconut, taro, and fishery. Projects for all three value-chains will include investments in storage and improved road connectivity, as well as commodity specific mid-stream infrastructure for each value-chain. In the coconut value chain, global demand for coconut products is surging, especially the global Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) market which is projected to grow by nearly 14 percent in 2026. To help PSIDS tap into that market demand, the project will increase coconut processing capacity in the region by building solar-powered improved copra drying units and improved oil mills with food-grade equipment. For the taro value chain, the project will increase processing capacity in the region with solar-powered HACCP certified processing units. These investments are expected to not only help meet domestic demand for taro products, but also to more than double taro export capacity. Lastly, fish and fish products have the most untapped export potential in PSIDS according to the ITC Export Potential Map. Although PSIDS have an abundant supply of fish, with over half of the world's tuna coming from PSIDS waters, PSIDS only have processing infrastructure capacity for primary processing into intermediate products, while secondary processing into higher-value final products occurs outside of the region. The project aims to support PSIDS in efforts to develop processing capacity with cleaning, filleting and packing facilities, landing sites for fishing boats with storage facilities, and renewable energy to both reduce costs and improve sustainability. Investments in all these facilities will include investments in renewable energy sources, traceability along the supply chain and other certifications necessary for accessing global markets.

The estimated cost is USD 780.9 million (including connectivity infrastructure).

Coconut

Taro

Fishery