Interestin Fiji
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015
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INVESTORS: 108 register in first quarter of 2015
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ONE hundred and eight foreign investment worth$315.4million and anticipated to generate employment for1473 people have been registered by Investment Fiji for thefi rst quarter of this year.
The positive outlook was announced by Investment Fiji CEO Godo Muller-Teut in a statement yesterday whilehanding a cheque for $269,991.30 to Government for foreigndirect investment (FDI) registration fees.
The fees were collected from foreign investment regis-tration certifi cate approvals for January-April this year.
By GERALDINE PANAPASA
Continued PAGE 2
Poasa Bainivalu of Suva in control
against Rewa during the Inkk
Mobile Battle of the Giants
semi-fi nal at Ratu Cakobau Park in
Nausori last night.Rewa won 1-0 and will play Ba in the
fi nal at Ratu Cakobau Park
on Sunday.Reports on
PAGES 87-88
Picture: SOLOMONE RABULU
FIJI believes that actions taken byNew Zealand to suspend eggplant,mango, breadfruit and papaya im-ports from Fiji are unjustifi ed.
The Ministry of Primary Indus-tries of New Zealand made the deci-sion to suspend imports of the fourproducts after initially rejecting ashipment of eggplant because of ananomaly in the operational mea-sures taken in Fiji under the bilat-eral quarantine agreement.
However, the Government alsosays that it is taking urgent actionto ensure Fijian agricultural prod-ucts continue to be exported freelyand safely to New Zealand and willnot rest until normal exports are re-stored.
In a statement yesterday, Min-ister for Public Enterprises AiyazSayed-Khaiyum said the banning ofthe four products was unjustifi ed inlight of Fiji’s strong commitmentto biosecurity and its unblemishedrecord in exporting safe agriculturalproducts throughout the region formany years.
“New Zealand authorities haveraised no concerns about any specif-ic biosecurity risks associated withthe shipment in question. We fi nd ithighly irregular that New Zealandhas opted to suspend all imports ofthe four commodities rather thansimply rejecting any consignmentover which they had concerns,” MrSayed-Khaiyum said.
“These actions are also inconsis-tent with New Zealand’s past prac-tices. Nevertheless, the Governmentof Fiji is conducting an audit of theresponsible treatment facility to en-sure that its procedures are in linewith the standards established in thebilateral quarantine agreement.”
He also said the Ministry of In-dusty, Trade and Tourism, theMinistry of Agriculture and theBiosecurity Authority of Fiji had re-quested to meet in Wellington withNew Zealand authorities to resolvethis issue.
New ZealandsuspendsFiji productsBy TEVITA VUIBAU
