Pacific

important to NZ, says Linton

Fiji and other South Pacific Island countries are increasingly seen as major markets for New Zealand goods and services says Suva-based New Zealand Trade Commissioner, Paul Linton.

New Zealand’s second biggest market for NZ garlic is Fiji, he says, where it is sold during the local garlic off-season in the first half of the year.

Linton says since the turn of the cen tury, New Zealand has had an interna tional reputation for being one of the pre mier primary producers in the world.

The meat processing industry is New Zealand’s largest export earner. About a decade and-a-half ago, only 20 per cent of sheepmeat was further processed -in New Zealand for export. Today, this applies to over 60 per cent of exported sheepmeat.

Nearly all beef leaves New Zealand as boneless beef or beef cuts. But addition al opportunities exist to further process more meat in New Zealand before

exporting premium products to the major

world meat markets.

Linton says Fiji would be able to gain by adding value to its meat products through adopting the technological advances which New Zealand possesses.

The New Zealand meat processing industry supplies about 50 per cent of the

world’s internationally traded sheepmeat

and about five per cent of the beef.

Further local processing of these meats prior to their export will be a feature of the industry in the 1990’5.

Fiji currently imports premium NZ meat for its hotel industry, says Linton.

Linton says it is anticipated that trade between Fiji and New Zealand will be consolidated this year, venturing into improving current areas of trade rather than moving into new product markets.R