The trophy up for grab for the 2013 Vodafone and Westpac Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year awards launched on Thursday night. Photo: PAULINI RATULAILAI
By RACHNA LAL and RANOBA BAOA
Fijian manufacturers have been able to make enormous strides in the Papua New Guinea market following the removal of many export goods in PNG’s negative listing.
Attorney-General and Minister for Industry and Trade, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, highlighted this as he launched the 2013 Vodafone and Westpac Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards on Thursday night.
He said the negative listing means that Fijian products were subject to various tariff controls by way of duty imposed on Fijian products.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum also revealed there are big investment plans by these manufacturers in Papua New Guinea.
“A couple of them are already drawing up plans to build bigger factories and manufacturing plants because of the enormous potential in Papua New Guinea,” he said.
The only products on Papua New Guinea’s negative listing now are sugar, salt and fish.
Solomon Islands listing
Also within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) context, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum indicated Solomon Islands continues to have far more items in the negative list.
But Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Bainimarama Government is hopeful that in the next few years, these items will diminish rapidly.
“Vanuatu has reduced a number of items from the high importation tariffs they had to much lower ones and I think the maximum they have now is 10 per cent,” he said.
Regional potential
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said we need to take advantage of our geographical location and our far more superior infrastructure, logistical arrangements and also infrastructure regarding telecommunications.
“Fiji needs to position itself as a source of p