Import Dependence in Nauru

By Kaelyn Dekarube (Pictured phosphate loading station)

Growing up as a kid in my lovely island of Nauru, I remember grownups used to say everything was imported, of course, I didn’t know what that meant.

I also remember the times when my father would tell us to preserve fresh water as the next shipment will not arrive at least in the next two month or so.  (Thinking back now, that sounded really far-fetched). Growing up in Nauru I realized that everything from the food that we eat to even fresh water was imported to Nauru.

Nauru was like most other Pacific island nations relying on the sea and the land for its livelihood.  The discovery of phosphate made the people the envy of other nations as it quickly became rich.

As its riches grew, Nauru also changed to a more modern society; they have abandoned their traditional way of life and grew accustomed to imported foods from all kinds’ especially canned food.

But sadly, living an unhealthy lifestyle for so many years is bound to lead to a lot of health problems, and that is exactly what has happened in my small paradise.

And so, as the imports increased throughout the years, the rate of diabetes and obesity climbed higher topping the global scale (this is not a proud achievement). This is not easy to write but it is the truth of which I know most of my fellow Nauruans will relate to.

You might say, why not grow your own vegetables? Trust me we did but sadly it didn’t last because as a result of years and years of mining, lands are left infertile to grow any sort of vegetables so we had to resort to importing again.

Weirdly enough unhealthy food such as canned food is cheaper than vegetables and fruits, so in our defense, we do not have a lot of options.

Nauruans live from paycheck to paycheck leaving less to nothing to spend on any else apart from the necessity. As a result, we tend to buy food that is cheaper and can feed the whole family.

So as I look at it now, importation does lead to a number of health risks, but then again we had little choice in the matter as we tend to go wherever time takes us.

Naurans do want to change, we want to live healthier lives. But economic and environmental circumstances make it a difficult task to achieve that goal.