Papua New Guinea

Trade Winds

Fiji

Manufacturer slams protectionism FIJI’S manufacturing industry needed unrestricted and duty-free access to in ternational raw materials, said Fiji Trade and Investment Board member Robert Lee in a paper delivered recently in Nadi. Lee, a director of Lees Trading Co, of Suva, said the Government’s poli cy of protecting local raw material sup pliers had been disastrous in its effects, causing escalating costs and creating highly inefficient but large profitable companies in Fiji. “Unless this constraint is removed, manufacturing will continue to be commodity-based with very little value-added and very little potential for sustained export,” said Lee.

Pine Commission’s going private THE Fiji Pine Commission plans to form a limited liability company by the end of August, and be ready for full privatisa tion by the end of the year. The commis sion has been working on issues relating to landowners and extension forest own ers so that the relationships are settled by the time Fii Pine Ltd is up and run

ning.

Australian companies angry AUSTRALIAN garment manufacturers are concerned over the substantial inflow of imports from Fiji, and have called on their government to curb what it sees as a threat. The Australian Textile Clothing and Footwear Council wants the Austra lian federal government to introduce measures to regulate the flow of gar ments from Fiji and has suggested a five per cent ceiling for Fiji products out of the garment imports into Australia.

Fijian to run luxury hotel A FIJIAN, Radike Qereqeretabua, has been appointed general manager of a five star, the 364-room Fijian Resort Hotel on the Coral Coast south of Nadi.

He began his hotel career in 1975 and was manager of the Fiji Mocambo in Nadi.

China to build towel factory A CHINESE company is to build and export towel from a factory under Fiji’s tax free zone system, with plans to manufacture 700,000 pieces a year. Chi na Huashi Enterprises will spend F 52.2 million (US$l.47 million) on the new plant, and will export hand towels, floor mats, face cloths and bathrobes to the United States and Australia. It is ex pected that about 160 people will be em

ployed in the factory.

Merchant Bank optimistic MERCHANT Bank of Fiji recorded more than Fsl million in new business during May, and say these trading re sults point to growing confidence both business and consumer in Fiji.

The company has experienced a steady

growth in the financing of new vehicles and equipment especially in the last three months.

Papua New Guinea

Radio hours under threat FINANCIAL problems may force the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to cut back its radio hours, said chairman Kedea Uru. The commission recently had its telephone and telex ser vices cut to incoming calls only after it failed to pay a K 57,000 (U 5554,000) bill from the Papua New Guinea Post and Telecommunication Corporation. Much of the money problems have been caused by the cost of installing new transmitters around the country the equipment was paid for by the Japanese Government, but the NBC had not budgetted for the installation costs which it had to meet.

Copra prices down again PAPUA New Guinea copra growers are facing even tougher times with the price for July being marked down K 4 a tonne, which followed a massive Kll a tonne drop in June. In the first half of 1990, copra prices at the main depots have dropped from K 285 per tonne to K 205

for top grades. Copra Marketing Board

chairman Sir John Guise once again pleaded with all growers to continue producing the crop so that the board could meet its contractual obligations to buyers in London, Europe and Asia.

Samoa

Suits filed against canneries AMERICAN Samoan Attorney-General Tautai Aviata Fa’alevao has announced his department has settled recent legal action against the two local tuna canner ies —Starkist Samoa and VCS Samoa Packing for allegedly polluting Pago Pago Harbour. Both companies indi cated they would settle the suits. The canneries have undertaken to pay sub stantial fines for violating local regula tions US$l5O,OOO in the case of Star kist, US$lOO,OOO from Samoa Packing.

They will also spend money on cleaning the harbour, and will begin separating waste out of water discharges, with the waste being pumped on to a new barge which in turn will take it for dumping off the coast of Tutuila.

New ferry service starts A NEW inter-island ferry service was due to begin operations in Western

Samoa by early August. The Western

Samoa Shipping Corporation has bought

the 150-passenger ferry Te Kotuku from the Pakatoa Ferry Services in Auckland, and the vessel will run between Mulifa nua, west of Apia, to Salelologa on Savai’i. The trip is expected to take ab out 50 minutes. The vessel cost the cor poration NZ5490,000 (U 55291,550).

Radio boosts signal WESTERN Samoa’s radio station, 2AP, has installed two new 10 kilowatt trans mitters to boost its signal throughout the country. The equipment, plus a new 120-metre tall mast, was part of a WS$l million (U 55424,800) aid package from Australia. The fate of the old transmitter is being discussed, and there have been suggestions it be kept as a backup for emergencies. Station 2AP was established by New Zealand administrators in 1948.

Solomon Islands

Plan to export ngali nuts

SOLOMON Islands’ Commodity Export

Marketing Authority (CEMA) is investi

gating the market for exporting ngali

nuts, to be marketed as a healthy type of

confectionery. A small processing factory

is to be established in Honiara, where employees will crack the nuts by hand and then package the kernels. Because the ngali is unknown outside the coun try, it will be marketed abroad as Solo mon Nuts with promotion concentrating

on the fact that the ngali grows naturally in Solomon Islands forests and are har vested by hand. It is expected that most foreign sales will be for the Christmas market. There will also be a grading sys tem with prices ranging from 60 cents to 25 cents a kilogram which it is hoped will encourage farmers to supply only top quality nuts.

New standards for wildlife exports WILDLIFE exports from the Solomon Islands may be subject to new regula tions which will provide standards for packing, following reports that some birds and reptiles are now not surviving en route to their destinations. The Ministry of Natural Resources has sent a report to the Cabinet with a list of re commendations; at the moment, there is no legislation governing the way the animals are packed. It has been reported that between 80 and 150 reptiles a week are exported from the Solomon Islands.

Grant for fish marketing A GRANT of U 55360,000 is being made by the United States Government to help Solomon Islands fishermen increase their income. The money will be used to help set up fish marketing centres or upgrade existing ones in seven provinces at Korovou on Shortland Island, Marau in East Guadalcanal, Star Har bour in East Makira, Lavangu in Ren nell, Atori in North Malaita, Reef Islands on Temotu and the moving of a centre from Kaolo to Buala in Isabel.