‘Be fair if bringing back stamp duty’

Investment on hold | Labour shortage affects $20m worth projects

About $20 million worth of investment has been put on hold by McDonalds Fiji because of a shortage of labour. While making submissions at the public consultation on the National Budget, McDonalds Fiji managing director Marc McElrath said the labour shortage was affecting every sector in the country. “We are very worried,” he said. “With...

New fuel and LPG prices come into effect

The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) yesterday announced the new regulated fuel and LPG products that will come into effect from today. As per the announcement by the FCCC the new regulated retail fuel prices are: Motor Spirit from $2.74 to $2.80 Premix from $2.58 to $2.62 Kerosene from $1.92 to $1.91 Diesel from...

Access to services

Sugar cane farmers now have an online portal to access services offered by the Sugar Cane Growers Fund. While launching the new mysugarcanegrowers app in Lautoka, Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad said the fund had been an integral partner of the industry for many years. “It is fitting to say that we need this...

Peer-to-peer learning

Pacific adaptation to climate change and resilience building In a ground-breaking initiative aimed at fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, representatives from several Pacific Island nations embarked on the first Pacific Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Learning Programme for the private sector in climate finance and resilience. This program, organised in collaboration by the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation...

Fiji, ‘a trade hub’

The new Fiji Trade Commission North America office in Burlingame, California, was officially opened this week by the minister for Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communication, Manoa Kamikamica. During the opening ceremony Mr Kamikamica said the US was Fiji’s largest and fastest growing export market. “In 2022, we recorded a 15.6 per cent growth in total...

Council urges consumers to be cautious

The Consumer Council of Fiji is working with the Criminal Investigations Division of the Fiji Police Force on the case of a scammer exposed for housing fraud. The council is urging consumers to exercise caution when dealing with a Sangita Maharaj, a rental scammer who has reportedly been operating under various aliases on Facebook including...

Website to facilitate growth of trade relations

The European Union (EU) in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) has launched the new Pacific EU Trade website yesterday. The website, developed under the Strengthening Pacific Intra-Regional and International Trade (SPIRIT) project, seeks to facilitate the growth of trade relations within the Pacific and between the Pacific and EU member states. Assistant...

Childcare options for working parents

Cabinet has approved a childcare guidance note that will help design the country’s first early childhood care services policy, giving working parents access to good quality childcare options. A statement from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) said the guidance note builds on a 2019 IFC study, Tackling Childcare: The Business Case for Employer Supported Childcare...

Singh: Fiji keen to learn from success of Mauritius’ sugar industry

Fiji is keen to learn from the experience and success of Mauritius sugar industry, especially in areas of power co-generation, ethanol production and production of refined sugar. Minister for Multi Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry Charan Jeath Singh – who led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic of Mauritius,...

Popular resort wins TripAdvisor award

Tokoriki Island Resort is the recipient of TripAdvisor’s 2023 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards #3 in the Top 10 Hotels South Pacific. A privately owned luxury, Tokoriki Island Resort is a boutique 5-star resort located in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji and is easily accessed by helicopter 15mins, speedboat 1hour or scheduled Catamaran 1hr....

Tax scam alert

Taxpayers have been urged by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) to be vigilant and on alert for potential scams. The warning was issued after the FRCS received a report by a person stating that she received WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers claiming that her mobile number has won a lottery and that to...

Improvements in the local labour market

The Reserve Bank of Fiji continues to record improvements in the local job market in tandem with the robust growth in the economy. According to the RBF the number of job vacancies rose by 23.6 per cent in the first four months of this year as recruitment intentions picked up in most sectors. It was...

Continuous growth in tourism

The tourism sector continues to go from strength to strength with the visitor arrivals tracking just above 2019 pace – 12 months ahead of schedule, says Tourism Fiji chief executive Brent Hill. He said this had led the Reserve Bank of Fiji to upgrade their growth targets for Fiji to 18.6 per cent for 2022...

Budget consultations begin in Lomawai

National budget consultations began at Lomawai in Sigatoka this morning for key stakeholders in the Western Division. Speaking to a group of sugar cane growers, Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad said he understood the problems farmers faced and wanted to learn more about their concerns. “I would like to hear from you,” Mr Prasad...

Cruise ship offers chance to visitors

International visitors now have more reasons to travel to Fiji with the latest advanced packages on offer by tourism operators. The latest is the introduction of the Fiji Luxury Small Ship Expedition Cruising by Captain Cook Cruises. Guests get to enjoy a maiden voyage on board the new MV Caledonian Sky in November to northern...

Fiji Airways and Korean Airlines sign code-sharing MOU

Fiji and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for an Air Services Agreement between the two countries to allow code-sharing arrangements, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has confirmed. This week, Cabinet approved the MOU which will now facilitate code-sharing provisions between Fiji Airways and Korean airlines. It also extends to partnerships with third-party...

FBC incurs $78k loss after vehicle resale

The Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) has incurred a $78,470 financial loss after reselling the former chief executive officer’s $207,470 luxury vehicle for $129,000 through a tender process. The “extravagant” purchase was criticised by the new FBC Board after coming into office and the process of reselling the vehicle was described as “time-consuming, messy, and uneconomical”...

RBF notes rise in job recruitment intentions

The Reserve Bank of Fiji says the number of job vacancies rose by 23.6 per cent in the first four months of 2023. It said recruitment intentions picked up in most sectors. RBF governor and Macroeconomic Committee chairperson Ariff Ali said the strong demand for labour was also underpinned by businesses filling up vacant positions...

Fiji economy benefits from strong rebound in tourism – Ali

Fiji’s economy continues to benefit from the strong rebound in tourism and its positive spill-over effects to other sectors of the economy. According to the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF), visitor arrivals had increased steadily since the reopening of borders and are on track to return to pre pandemic levels. RBF governor and Macroeconomic Committee...

RBF: Fiji’s growth projection revised upward to 8.0 per cent

The growth projection for Fiji’s economy this year is revised upward to 8.0 per cent from the 6.0 per cent envisaged in November 2022. Reserve Bank of Fiji governor and Macroeconomic Committee chairperson Ariff Ali said the key sectors contributing to the upward growth projection were the accommodation and food services, transport and storage, agriculture,...

Labour force participation low for women in Fiji

Labour force participation was 30 per cent lower for women compared with men in Fiji as recently as 2021, despite having close to gender parity in primary and secondary school enrolment. This is according to a report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released May 2023. The Comprehensive Analysis of Existing Research and Data of...

Partnership shows confidence in sector

Cloud-based customer relationship management company Salesforce has partnered with leading ICT provider Datec. The launch of the partnership was announced with a conference at the Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva recently. The event was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Small & Medium Enterprises & Communications, Manoa Kamikamica. “The launch of...

Push to become a regional hub

Fiji is strengthening its push to become a regional hub for private and public partnerships, says Minister for Investment and Trade Manoa Kamikamica. He said apart from its geographical location, the country provided an important link to smaller island nations where future investors could also establish businesses. “We also have ambitions to be a regional...

Discussion gathers momentum

Discussions on establishing more than one submarine cable network for telecommunication services is gathering momentum. Minister for Trade and Investment Manoa Kamikamica said with the installation of more than one network, they hoped that interest from bigger international companies would grow. “We also want to be technological hub in the Pacific,” he said. “Because of...

Marina’s new status

Port Denarau Marina has become the first marina in Fiji and the South Pacific to receive both the Gold Anchor and Superyacht Ready status from The Yacht Harbour Association. This accomplishment sets a new standard for marina facilities and services in the region and showcases Port Denarau Marina’s commitment to providing a safe, secure, and...

UPU opens regional office in Fiji

The Universal Postal Union (UPU), the international agency connecting the postal services of 192 member countries established by the United Nations in 1874 now has a regional office in Suva, Fiji. The Pacific office of the UPU was officially opened by UPU director general Masahiko Metoki and Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises...

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