Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica says tariffs introduced by United States President Donald Trump were responsible for Bumble Bee Seafoods ending its longstanding partnership with the Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO).
Speaking in Parliament on Monday during debate on the proposed $20 million Government guarantee for PAFCO, Mr Kamikamica said the American seafood company’s decision to relocate to Mexico had nothing to do with PAFCO’s performance.
“Bumble Bee Seafoods has been a buyer of processed tuna from PAFCO for some time and it was only because of the tariffs introduced by President Trump that created an issue for Bumble Bee Seafoods, and they decided to move to Mexico,” he said.
“So number one, it had nothing to do with the performance of PAFCO.”
Mr Kamikamica said the Government had made important decisions that enabled PAFCO to find a replacement buyer quickly following Bumble Bee’s departure.
“One of the important things that probably is lost in this debate, some of the excellent decisions that have been undertaken by this side of the House that have led to this ability to find a buyer very quickly.”
His comments followed concerns raised by Opposition MP Parveen Bala over Bumble Bee’s departure, the lack of a publicly disclosed transition plan and uncertainty surrounding employment at the Levuka-based company.
Mr Kamikamica stressed that PAFCO remained a significant employer regardless of the different workforce figures being discussed in Parliament.
“Any place that employs 800 workers, 1,000 workers, or even 400 workers as suggested by honourable Bala, it is still a significant employer,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of PAFCO’s operations to women workers.
“Of course, we should not forget the fact that 70 percent of the workforce are women.”
