FIJI is open for trade — and open to doing more business with Tonga, whether it’s in premium seafood, agricultural products or niche manufactured goods, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica.
Speaking at a Business to Business (B2B) networking event in Nukualofa, Tonga this week, Mr Kamikamica, who is currently heading a Fiji business mission to the island kingdom, said the aim of the mission was to identify new avenues for trade and investment, promote business partnerships and unlock the economic potential between the two nations.
“Fiji and Tonga are no strangers to each other as we share a long-standing history of trade, political and cultural biological kinship that is reflected most apparently within the customs and ways of the people of Fiji who inhabit our Eastern parts of the Islands – that is the Islands of Lau,” Mr Kamikamica said. “Our presence here today is simply deepening that strong cultural relationship leveraged over the years into the growing economic relationship it is today.”
He said Fiji’s total exports to Tonga last year were valued at over $161 million, making Tonga Fiji’s largest export destination in the Pacific.
“We have set ourselves an ambitious yet achievable target; that is to increase Fiji’s share of Tonga’s total imports from the current 27 percent to 35 percent over the next three years. “This equates to an estimated export value of $215 million by 2027, making our two way trade significantly more.” Tonga, he said, could especially benefit from Fiji’s sugar, apart from our price competitive and international quality compliant manufactured goods and services.
“Fiji currently supplies only 36.6 percent of Tonga’s raw sugar imports. With Tonga importing over $F3.7 million worth of sugar annually, this represents a significant opportunity for our sugar producers and exporters.”
Mr Kamikamica also invited Tongan businesses to explore opportunities in Fiji and tap into our growing consumer market.
“Whether it’s premium seafood, agricultural products, or niche manufactured goods, Fiji is open for trade — and open to doing more business with Tonga,” he said.
Fijian businesses represented in the mission included Punjas, Goodman Fielder, Tropik Woods, Ashabhai, Paradise Technologies, Vinod Patel, Rooster Poultry, Juice Fiji, Food Processors Limited and Propharma Pte Limited.
Note: This article was first published on the print version of the Fiji Times dated May 8, 2025
