Savusavu opened the doors to its $2 million grand copra mill on August 23, 1985.
It was jointly owned by the Fiji Development Bank (FDB) and Punja and Sons Ltd.
In a supplement published by this newspaper on September 7, 1985, the report said Hari Deo Construction was contracted to build the mill and it was completed in seven months.
The mill had the capacity of storing and producing 10,000 tonnes of oil, and at the time the mill already had 200 tonnes stored.
One of the advantages of having the mill so close to suppliers was that it was cost saving of having oil being piped from the mill to the storage tanks and out to the ships.
Another advantage was that with the automatic weighbridge, the growers’ sacks were returned immediately.
In the past they had to wait until sacks were returned from the ports.
Inside the mill, an area was set aside for the grading of copra. In Suva and Lautoka the grading was done at the wharf, which held up passage of copra to the importers.
Also, the copra growers were going to get more for their copra, about $40 more a tonne, as there was no sea freight to be paid by the farmer for shipping to Suva.
The oil was to be exported directly from the mill to overseas destinations and the first shipment valued at $300,000 was scheduled for the end of September 1987.
The mill employed 50 people from the area, headed by Suren Rama.
The FDB shares were to be eventually sold to copra planters in the area servicing the mill in a share purchase scheme organised by the bank.
