Establish one hectare
The layout assumes 5,000 planting positions, shade cloth, weed mat, steel posts, and replacement of failed young plants. Ownership and reuse rights for the infrastructure must be recorded in the agreements.
The proposed operating model
Fund in stages
Initial funding establishes the crop. Monthly contributions fund the investor's proportional share of rent, upkeep, security, harvest labour, and delivery allowances.
Measure before scaling
Record planting dates, cultivar, inputs, labour, survival, maturity, saleable weights, grades, rejections, and buyer receipts for the defined block before expanding.
Evidence-aligned base case
The PHAMA/SPC cultivation manual describes 5,000 plants per hectare at 2 m × 1 m spacing and a potential 50 tonnes where plants grow well and weigh 10 kg after three years. This reviewed model therefore starts at 10 kg per harvest-ready plant, not the earlier promoter-supplied 12 kg figure.
Applying the separate 85% harvest-ready assumption gives 5,000 × 85% × 10 kg = 42.5 tonnes. The calculation is correct; the 85% readiness rate is not independently verified. Replacement plants may be younger and may not be ready for the first harvest.
The manual's yield is a potential result, not a Freshwater Plantation forecast or guarantee. Soil, cultivar, disease, cyclone, water, husbandry, age, product grade, and buyer acceptance may materially change saleable yield.
Initial funding per hectare
Extra clearing crew: 3 × 20 days × 8 hours; wages + 6% VNPF + 20% supervisionVT 183,168
Extra planting crew: same allowanceVT 183,168
5,000 seedlings × VT600VT 3,000,000
Shade cloth, weed mat and steel postsVT 2,000,000
Installation by permanent crew: 1,200 hoursIncluded in permanent payroll
Crop contingency reserve: retained estimateVT 1,049,190
Materials contingency: 20% × VT2,000,000VT 400,000
Initial funded amountVT 6,815,526 (A$82,612)
Permanent payroll is funded through monthly contributions. An opening cash buffer is needed before work starts. Materials and crop reserves remain estimates; unused reserves must be reconciled. Installation labour is not charged twice.
Staffing and supervision per hectare
Three permanent workers throughout 36 months; six total during clearing and planting; ten total during harvest. Eight paid work-hours/day, Monday–Friday, excluding public holidays. Permanent staff do installation and routine maintenance within payroll.
One permanent employee: wages including paid annual leave VT1,785,600 + employer VNPF VT107,136 + severance provision VT158,400 = VT2,051,136 over three years. Three employees cost VT6,153,408 before supervision.
The 20% labour management and supervision allowance is additional to direct employment costs. It contributes toward an experienced expatriate or Filipino supervisor, payroll administration and field management. It is not a statutory entitlement or a complete supervisor package.
At the base crop, direct employment is VT7,366,896; supervision VT1,473,379; combined VT8,840,275. Supervision averages VT40,927/month. A hypothetical VT100,000/month supervisor package leaves VT2,126,621 to fund over 36 months, before any excluded package expenses.
The permanent payroll retains the earlier planning convention of 248 paid weekdays/year, including 15 paid leave days; roughly 233 productive days/year. Actual dated holiday calendars and employment terms must be reconciled. Temporary allowances currently include wages and 6% employer VNPF only; applicable leave, termination entitlements, paid absences and replacement cover must be priced before commitment. Harvest productivity of 0.096 hours/kg remains an estimate. This budget assumes all three permanent workers are charged to this hectare; shared staff require an explicit allocation.
Monthly operating provision per hectare
Permanent payroll + 20% supervision, 36 monthsVT 7,384,090
Land rentVT 1,500,000
Maintenance tools and inputs, excluding permanent labourVT 325,000
Separate security allowanceVT 1,500,000
Structure upkeepVT 200,000
Baseline 36-month provisionVT 10,909,090
Average baseline monthly provisionVT 303,030 (A$3,673)
Maintenance inputs retain VT325,000 after removing the old 2,600 × VT480 labour charge. Security remains a separate provision pending confirmation that it buys a separate service. Harvest extras and delivery are funded additionally through the calculator. Monthly averages do not replace a dated cash-flow forecast.
Per-hectare scenario calculator
Change the assumptions below. A zero for an unpriced item means excluded from the budget, not free.
Base-case total funding is VT19,114,466 (approximately A$231,690), including permanent payroll, peak extras and supervision, before unpriced additions. Only seven additional harvest workers are charged: 2,856 hours at the base crop. Delivery remains VT300,000. Taxes, finance, legal, audit, insurance and any supervisor-package shortfall remain excluded unless specifically added. Average annual ROI is cycle ROI divided by three, not IRR or CAGR.
Proposed profit waterfall
- Receive and verify buyer proceeds.
- Reconcile actual project costs and return unused reserves where required.
- Calculate project profit or loss.
- Pay the manager 10% only when project profit is positive.
- Allocate the remaining profit or loss to economic units.
- Apply the investor's contracted return option.
The manager receives a separate 10% share of positive project profit, in addition to the cost-based 20% supervision allowance. Option A has no crop-profit share; option B receives half of positive allocated profit; option C receives all allocated profit or loss. The signed agreement must allocate the residual pool under A and B and identify who funds fixed-return shortfalls.The agreement must say who receives every residual amount under options A and B.
Illustrative investor unit
An initial A$20,000 converts to VT 1,650,000 at the model's fixed rate of VT 82.50/A$1. It purchases a proportional economic interest in the modelled hectare; it does not itself establish land ownership, a trust interest, a secured claim, or a regulated-product status.
| Illustrative option | Return to investor | Contributed capital + return at year three |
|---|
Options A and B are proposed contractual fixed returns, payable at month 36 under a signed agreement; no independent underwriting, third-party guarantee or security is represented as in place. Interest accrues on each contribution for its actual modelled time outstanding: three years on initial funding and 52.5 payment-years across month-end contributions. A binding fixed payment obligation would remain due despite a poor harvest, but collection depends on the obligor’s solvency.
The payout column assumes capital is repaid, but this page does not prove or guarantee repayment. Option B does not deduct its fixed interest from the project-profit pool. Consequently, the contractual counterparty must fund any shortfall and the agreement must define the destination of residual profit.
Participation terms
Choose A: 10% p.a. simple fixed return; B: 5% p.a. simple plus 50% of allocated positive crop profit; or C: crop profit/loss participation. Fixed returns are proposed obligations of the entity named in the signed agreement. No guarantee is currently represented as executed. A separate, identified sponsor guarantee may be negotiated following capacity and legal checks.
Frequently asked questions
Answers describe the proposed arrangement and planning assumptions; the signed participation agreement governs the final terms.
What is the minimum initial contribution?
A$20,000. The calculator shows the proportional economic share of the modelled hectare, the additional monthly contribution over 36 months and total contributed capital. The initial amount is not the full commitment.
What do the monthly contributions cover?
Your proportional share of permanent payroll and supervision, land rent, maintenance inputs, security, structure upkeep, additional harvest workers and delivery. These are planning averages; the signed agreement must specify payment dates, opening working capital and any limits on additional funding.
How is accounting done?
The proposed arrangement uses a dedicated project ledger and bank account, with invoices, payroll records, block-level cost allocations and buyer receipts. Participants should receive quarterly financial and crop reports, an annual independent accounting review and an end-of-cycle reconciliation. These arrangements must be agreed and implemented before funds are accepted; they are not represented as already in place.
How many people will work on the crop?
The budget allocates three permanent workers for the entire 36-month cycle. The total crew increases to six during clearing and planting and ten during harvest. Only the additional three or seven workers are charged separately; permanent staff time is already included in payroll.
What does the 20% supervision allowance pay for?
It is a separate charge on direct employment costs, contributing toward an experienced expatriate or Filipino supervisor and labour administration. It does not replace VNPF, leave or severance provisions. At the base crop it provides about VT40,927 per month, so a higher supervisor package requires a separately funded shortfall.
Are all employment costs included?
The permanent-worker estimate includes wages, paid annual leave, employer VNPF and a severance provision. Temporary-worker estimates currently include wages and employer VNPF; applicable leave, termination entitlements and other absences still require payroll advice and costing. Overtime, replacement cover and any supervisor-package shortfall are not assumed to be free.
What are the three return options?
Option A proposes 10% per annum simple fixed return with no crop-profit share. Option B proposes 5% per annum simple plus 50% of allocated positive crop profit. Option C receives 100% of allocated crop profit or loss without a fixed return. All are subject to the signed agreement; the calculator is an illustration.
Are the fixed returns guaranteed?
They are proposed contractual payment obligations of the entity named in the signed agreement, not independently underwritten, insured or bank-backed. No executed separate guarantee is represented as in place. A sponsor guarantee may be negotiated and documented, but recovery would still depend on its scope, enforceability and the guarantor’s resources.
When are capital and returns paid?
The illustration assumes settlement at month 36. Simple fixed interest is calculated on the initial contribution for three years and on each month-end contribution for its remaining time to settlement. The agreement must confirm maturity, payment currency, repayment obligations and remedies for delay; crop sale timing alone does not establish payment certainty.
How is profit calculated and who receives management fees?
Modelled crop revenue is reduced by funded project costs. The manager receives a separate 10% share only of positive project profit, after the cost-based 20% supervision allowance has already been included in costs. The remaining pool is allocated to economic shares and the chosen option is applied. The agreement must identify who receives residual profit under A and B and who funds fixed-payment shortfalls.
What happens if the harvest is poor or delayed?
Yield, readiness, price, weather and buyer payment are uncertain. Option C carries allocated project losses. Under a signed fixed-return arrangement, A and B payment obligations would be governed by the contract, but investors remain exposed to default. Delay, extra funding, loss allocation and enforcement must be expressly agreed.
Do I own the land, timber or shade structures?
A modelled economic share does not itself confer land ownership or security. Crop and infrastructure rights must be stated in the agreement. Timber belongs to the landowner and is excluded from project income and investor assets.
What happens to unused reserves?
The proposed agreement should require reserves to be reconciled against actual expenditure and unused amounts returned or credited as agreed. The calculator conservatively treats budgeted reserves as spent; it does not promise a refund amount.
Can I sell my participation or withdraw early?
No ready resale market or early redemption facility is assumed. Transfers, consent requirements, default and exit provisions must be set out in the signed agreement. Participants should plan for the full cycle and review the total funding commitment.
Why is this a private invitation?
The intended approach is individually invited participation with negotiated agreements and controlled circulation. Private circulation alone does not establish a regulatory exemption. The legal classification and applicable Vanuatu and recipient-country requirements must be checked before commitments are accepted.