Faced with unfulfilled promises, several pearl farming GIEs and unions have united under the banner of the Union of Pearl Professionals, now representing over 80% of the sector.
Their first collective action: a determined gathering this Thursday morning in front of the Maison de la Perle, with the clear goal of obtaining the immediate signing of a memorandum of agreement.
At the heart of their demands is the immediate and permanent withdrawal of Deliberation No. 2005-42. This regulation, in force for over ten years, mandates the destruction of pearls deemed usable and has reportedly caused an estimated loss of 6 billion CFP francs in just two years. Frank Tehaamatai, spokesperson for the union, points out that Japan had experimented with a similar measure before abandoning it due to disastrous consequences for its own industry.
According to Tehaamatai, some pearls, though imperfect, could still be utilized, particularly for bracelets or rings. He criticizes the rigidity of current standards, which lead to the destruction of small category A pearls simply because their nacre thickness is less than 0.8 mm. Despite their request for a counter-assessment of the Maison de la Perle’s inspection equipment, their appeal was denied. While an agreement in principle was reached for cutting pearls, no concrete timeline was provided.
“We’ve been strung along for far too long,” Frank Tehaamatai declares. Pearl farmers, typically moderate, are now expressing deep anger. The decline is stark: while there were over 1,000 farms in 2000, only 200 remain today. Exports, which generated 20 billion francs in 2000, are projected to drop to just 6 billion in 2012.
Professionals are demanding immediate and concrete measures to save an industry in crisis, and the repeal of Deliberation No. 2005-42 is seen as an essential step for the survival of their trade.
