OZ, NZ goods into Europe via Islands?

Europe via Islands?

Australian and New Zealand manufacturers can win access to markets in the European Economic Community by means of tripartite joint-venture industries established in certain Pacific Island countries. It may also be possible to attract European countries to invest in Island countries for the purpose of obtaining markets in Austra lia and New Zealand.

The Centre for Industrial Development in Brussels, Belgium, an agency of the EEC, exists to assist potential indus trial enterprises in the Pacific Islands.

Companies in Australia and New Zealand may find that the expansion of their product ranges is discouraged by such factors as the smallness of their local market, lack of technical expertise and high start-up costs. Many will also have products they would like to export to Europe but for such barriers as trade quotas, import duties or possibly high labour costs.

The Lome Convention be tween the EEC and eight Pacific Island countries may solve some of these problems.

All goods manufactured in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tuvalu and Western Samoa having a minimum of 50 percent of their value added locally can be exported to Europe duty-free.

As agreements between Aus tralia and New Zealand and these Island states also permit

unrestricted or lightly restricted imports into Australia and New Zealand, it may now be possible to attract European companies to invest in the Islands to complement the production of Australian and New Zealand manufacturers on a joint venture basis.

With sufficient information, CID will help in finding inter esting European partners for tripartite joint ventures in the Pacific.

The South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC) and other organisations in the Islands may try to identify local partners.

Interested industrialists should write directly to CID, with a copy to SPEC, outlining the type of products they are prepared to manufacture in the Islands for export to Europe, and outlining products of European origin they would be prepared to import into Austra lia or New Zealand to comp lement their sales.

Adresses: Centre for Indus trial Development, Rue de ITndustrie 28, B 1040 Brussels, Belgium. Tel. (02) 513 41 00.

Telex CDI 61427.

South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation, GPO Box 856, Suva, Fiji. Tel 312-600, Telex 2229

Specsuva Fj.

South Pacific Trade Com mission, 9th Floor, PNG House, 225 Clarence Street, Sydney 2000. Tel. 290 2833, 90 2713, Telex AA70342. South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation.

Oz rag trader

goes to Fiji

Givoni (Australia) Pty Ltd, of Melbourne, one of Australia’s largest garment makers, has signed an agreement for the production by a Fiji company, Lotus Garments Ltd, of 20 000 dresses and housegowns for the Australian market.

It is the first deal under which an Australian garment manu facturer has placed offshore orders in Fiji to take advantage of tariff concessions allowed to Fiji by Australia under the SPARTECA trade agreement.

A Givoni spokesman said cheaper labour costs in Fiji would permit Givoni compete with Asian-made garments be ing sold in Australia.

The garments would be de livered by December, with Givoni supplying materials.

There would be follow r -up or ders if the pilot order was successful.

Padam Lala, managing direc tor of Lotus Garments, said the company was negotiating simi lar deals with three other Aus tralian companies, and was planning a major expansion of its factory. Robert Keith- Reid in Suva.

Tuvalu checks

shopping list

Tuvalu has been looking at the prices of goods in New Zealand compared to prices charged for the same items in Australia.

David Kinon, manager of the Tuvalu Business Development Advisory Bureau, who rep resented Tuvalu at the 1982 New Zealand Exporters’ Fair in Auckland, reported that New

Zealand prices seemed to be lower than Australian. Tuvalu is seriously considering extend ing its New Zealand shopping list to the detriment of Austra lian exporters, especially as there is a possibility of a direct shipping service from Auckland to Funafuti.

Safety seminar

in Vanuatu

A seminar on safety at work and in the home was held in Port- Vila in June. Opening the conference Vanuatu’s Minister for Home Affairs Fred Timakata said it was only in recent years that many South Pacific countries had begun to set up industries, and they were only now realising the need for adequate precautions against accidental injuries, maimings and even fatalities at work and in the home. Taking part in the seminar were representatives of Vanuatu, Australia, New Zea land, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Western Samoa.

10 in Tourism

Council

Ten Pacific Island countries have joined to form the Tourism Council of the South Pacific.

The new body, to be headquartered in Pago Pago, American Samoa, replaces the Tourism Council of Polynesia.

Malakai Gucake, general man ager of the Fiji Visitors Bureau, has been appointed the new' council’s president. High among the council’s priorities, according to Mr Gucake, will be exertion of pressure in the appropriate places for improved

air services to, and within, the South Pacific. Countries and territories making up the coun cil are; American Samoa, West ern Samoa, Papua New Guinea.

French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Tonga, Niue, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands.

Big cocoa plan

for Malakula

A 1700-hectare site on Vanuatu’s island of Malakula has been set aside for a major cocoa project funded by the Commonwealth Development Corporation. The corporation’s Suva office says the project will allow for involvement by local landowners. Work on prep aration of the site is to begin immediately, and planting ex pected to start by mid-1983.

Air Pacific to

fly the coop?

The chairman of Fiji’s Tourism Convention Mr Vunibobo urged Air Pacific to fly to destinations beyond the Pacific region. He told the convention in June that unless Fiji’s airline gained land ing rights beyond Australia and New Zealand, its tourist indus try could become a victim of over-flights. Acquisition of new destinations would enable the Fiji Visitors Bureau to tap new tourist markets.

Industry estate

for Lautoka

A drive to boost exports is an important pan of Fiji's strategy for economic growth.

Sugar still accounts for over two-thirds of export earnings, and its growth prospects are

good. Timber and canned tuna arc also fast becoming significant resource-based ex ports.

But the Fiji Government, in its efforts to diversify exports and also broaden the country’s manufacturing base, has an nounced plans to develop a 60-hectare industrial estate just outside Lautoka main port on the western side of Viti Lev; specifically for export oriented industries.

Fiji’s Economic Development Board (EDB) has engaged an Adelaide-based consulting firm.

Pak-Poy and Kneebonc, through the Australian Govern ment’s Development Import Grants Scheme (DIGS), to study the selected site and identify industries likely to be attracted to it. The firm will make recommendations for the development of the estate, with cost and revenue projections.

Fiji’s existing system of ex port incentives will be reviewed and detailed recommendations made to make it more effective.

From a Special Correspon dent.

Imports fiddle

in Apia?

Private firms in Western Samoa have been importing millions of dollars worth of goods without the required government per mission. Two firms, with import allocations of SWSI.2 million dollars for 1981, are said to have imported 51.5 million dol lars worth of goods in the last quarter of the year alone. It is reported that there could be prosecutions following com pletion of a Treasury inquiry.