By RACHNA LAL
Plans have been announced by a leading fertiliser manufacturer to open its first outlet in Fiji.
Samoa-based Soil Health Pacific Limited will invest around AU$60,000 (FJ$102,620) for the new facility and equipment.
The company is working with its business partner, Organic Agriculture Fiji, to begin operations in the next couple of months.
The arrival of Soil Health Pacific would be a befitting one as Government’s focus is now also going into the agricultural sector.
Big demand in agricultural sector
Soil Health Pacific managing director, Edwin Tamasese, speaking on this new market opportunity, said there is significant potential in the Fijian market for the company’s products.
This, he said, was evident from the demand for fertiliser in Fiji.
The company has already supplied 100 tonnes of fertiliser to Fiji this year.
“Fiji has a mature agricultural sector from a conventional point of view, but there is significant scope for progress,” he said.
“This is particularly in areas such as organic sugar cane production or even just lower fertiliser input and higher sugar output approaches.
“There are many other areas in the growing agriculture sector in the country which will give ample opportunity for our company to identify farmers that we would like to work with.”
The IACT project
The expansion has been assisted by the European Union-funded Increasing Agricultural Commodity Trade (IACT) project, which is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
The goal of the project is to strengthen the export capacity of Pacific countries and territories in the primary industries of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and livestock.
Currently, 28 enterprises in the region are being provided support to become export-oriented and market-driven ventures that will consistently supply overseas markets with competitive products.
Training of staff and local farmers on biologically focused fertility programmes is also supported by the project.
In the near future, the Increasing Agricultural Commodity Trade project also plans to offer assistance in other areas, such as marketing and branding of products sold by the company.
Expansion facilitation
Mr Tamasese explained the project had played a critical role in enabling the company’s expansion in Fiji and in providing valuable training for staff and farmers.
“IACT has had a major positive impact towards our development in a very short timeframe,”
he said.
“Without IACT’s support, we would very likely be a year behind in our progress compared to where we are today.”
Soil Health Pacific is considering markets in Tonga and Papua New Guinea for possible expansion in the near future.
Samoa-based Soil Health Pacific Limited will invest around $100,000 to open its first outlet in Fiji.