APPROXIMATELY $2million worth of immediate export deals was generated at the recent four-day Tonga Business Mission held earlier this month.
These export opportunities span several key sectors, including energy, food and beverages, forestry, and wholesale/retail.
Investment Fiji CEO Kamal Chetty said notably, the energy sector led the way with energy-savings products specialist Paradise Technologies securing multiple high-value leads.
He said this figure was set to increase pending ongoing negotiations with other potential companies.
In the food and beverages sector, he said companies such as Juice Fiji, Food Processors Fiji Ltd and Future Farms Pte Ltd that trades as Rooster Poultry, engaged in promising negotiations and partnerships with Tongan distributors.
Discussions are also underway in the forestry and wholesale/retail sectors, with companies like Tropik Woods, Ashabhai, and Vinod Patel & Company Pte Ltd having actively explored export opportunities.
He acknowledged the efforts of the private sector and reassured their commitment to supporting Fijian exporters.
“We are proud to see Fijian businesses establishing partnerships into regional markets such as Tonga,” Mr Chetty said.
He said those outcomes reflected the resilience, innovation, and competitiveness of Fijian companies.
“Investment Fiji remains committed to building bridges between Fijian exporters and international buyers to grow our economy and create sustainable partnerships,” Mr Chetty said.
The CEO said several companies were still in the process of finalising deals and the total value of exports was expected to increase as negotiations continued.
According to Investment Fiji, during the mission, Juice Fiji – one of the country’s growing beverage brands had announced its successful expansion into Tonga through a new distribution partnership with Luna’Eva Supermarket and Hardware Store in Nuku’alofa.
It said this significant milestone marked Juice Fiji’s official entry into the Tongan market, through the business mission.
Founder Panapasa Daunakamakama said he was grateful for the opportunity.
“It’s been a fruitful marketing trip. In our site visit, we managed to secure a distributor in Tonga,” Mr Daunakamakama said.
The business mission held from May 5-8 was facilitated by Investment Fiji and the Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives and MSMEs; and underscores Investment Fiji’s approach to facilitating trade and investment opportunities, reinforcing Fiji’s role as a reliable supplier of high-quality goods and services in the Pacific.
Note: This article was first published on the print version of the Fiji Times dated May 24, 2025
