Seated front left: PA Lal Group of Companies general manager, Lawrence Robert, Permanent Secretary for Industry and Trade, Shaheen Ali, PA Lal Group of Companies managing director, Richard Lal and MC Gardiner Whiteside with award recipients at the annual PA Lal Long Service Awards Night at Vineyard Restaurant in Suva on Wednesday. Photo: Justine Mannan
By RACHNA LAL
Government plans to send two major trade missions overseas in the first quarter of next year led by the Prime Minister. One to New Caledonia and one to Australia.
It follows the success of the Trade Mission to Papua New Guinea this year, also led by the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
This was highlighted by the Permanent Secretary for Industry and Trade, Shaheen Ali, during the PA Lal Group of Companies Long Service Awards Night in Suva on Wednesday.
“The Fijian Government is targeting markets of New Caledonia and Australia in 2014, in addition, to our Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) markets,” he said.
Mr Ali said the Trade Mission will be comprised of Fijian private sector and businesses.
He said the aim of the trade mission would be to explore and capitalise on export and investment opportunities offered in New Caledonia and Australia.
“New Caledonia (which is part of the MSG through the FLNKS Political Party), has enormous untapped opportunities for Fijian companies,” he said.
“It is the richest country in the region, with per capita income in the vicinity of US$39,000.”
Mr Ali said Australia, on the other hand, despite being our traditional trading partner, is a country where Fiji is yet to realise its full potential.
“The economy of Australia is more than seven times larger than New Zealand’s and yet our exports to Australia, if decoupled from gold and garments, are on par to New Zealand,” he said.