31 May 2013

Niue government props up noni farm as it waits on Reef receivers

3:14 pm on 31 May 2013

The Niue government has had to put money into the noni farm it co-owns with the collapsed shipping company, Reef.

Niue, along with operations in Samoa and the Cook Islands were being geared by Reef to export noni juice to China before the company went into receivership late last year.

The farm is the only significant commmercial farming operation on Niue.

The premier, Toke Talagi, says the receivers are taking their time to decide what to do about the Reef share in the operation, but the government in the meantime is endeavouring to keep the farm afloat.

"We have had to put some money in to ensure the farm is continuing to produce and continuing to employ people, and we are still very keen to try to export the produce that is produced out of there. So we have got to maintain our interests in the farm and that is what we have done."