The Kingdom of Tonga comprises 170 islands of volcanic and coral origin spread over a sea area of 360,000 sqaure km. There are four main islands groups: Tongatapu and „Eua, Vava‟u, Ha‟apai and the remote Niuas. Tonga has a population of 101,134 persons living on 36 islands. Land resources are limited, and only 24% of the country‟s 747 km² is arable. Tonga is experiencing a number of socio-economic and environmental challenges. The growth in urbanization, being the result of rural migration from both the outer islands and Tongatapu itself, has put high pressure on the land, in particular around the capital Nuku‟alofa where almost 40% of the country‟s total population is concentrated. The country runs a deep trade deficit which has been increasing in recent years. At present, the total value of merchandise imports is almost 20 times higher than the total exports; approximately 14 % of these imports are food products. Commercial production and exports are dominated by a few primary products (squash, fish and vanilla), making the economy vulnerable to changes in export markets. Increasing agricultural production for domestic consumption and for export is accorded high priority by the government.

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National Mid Term Priority Framework full report