ABSTRACT
The purpose of regional trade agreements is to improve the social and economic development of the SIDS of the Pacific. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has unveiled a policy on NGO consultation a major change as the Forum was the one regional body that had initially resisted formal engagement with the non-government sector. Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) covers trade in goods for Pacific Island Forum countries except Australia and New Zealand. The European bans compounded problems for the kava industry at a time when the small island nations were coming to terms with the complexities of inter-island free trade under PICTA. Coffee Connections in Papua New Guinea exports organic and specialty coffee assessed by members of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
