A STRONGER bilateral partnership between Fiji and India is in the cards under their new Veilomani-Dosti partnership, starting with Fiji opening up market access to Indian ghee and gifting a piece of land for an Indian chancery in Fiji, following Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s current official visit to New Delhi at the invitation of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a joint statement issued after their meeting, the two leaders announced bilateral cooperation across many levels and sectors in Fiji’s socio-economic landscape.
“The Leaders acknowledged the steady growth in bilateral trade and recognised the substantial untapped potential for trade and investment between India and Fiji,” it stated.
“They expressed their intent to deepen sectoral cooperation in areas of mutual interest to further consolidate economic partnership, diversify trade portfolios and enhance resilience of supply chains.
An immediate outcome of the meeting was the immediate opening of Fiji’s market to Indian ghee, a move hailed by PM Modi.
“Prime Minister Modi welcomed the grant of market access to Indian ghee by the Government of Fiji.”
India, whose intent to open a chancery in Fiji has been solidified with the Fiji Government gifting it a piece of land for that purpose, is also looking at deepening cooperation with the Pacific region.
“Prime Minister Modi expressed appreciation for the allocation of land by the Government of the Republic of Fiji for the construction of Chancery-cum-Cultural Centre for the High Commission of India in Suva and welcomed the handover of the Lease Title.
“Land has already been allocated in New Delhi in 2015 for the Government of the Republic of Fiji to construct its High Commission Chancery.
“Reiterating their shared vision for a robust, inclusive, and sustainable Indo-Pacific economic architecture, both Leaders committed to working closely to promote mutual prosperity. Both Leaders acknowledged India’s growing engagement with the Pacific Island Countries, including Fiji, carried out under the Act East Policy, through the action-oriented Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) and India’s participation as Dialogue Partner in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Recalling the outcomes of the 3rd FIPIC Summit held in May 2023, Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed
India’s commitment to development partnership in the region through wide-ranging initiatives keeping priorities of Fiji at the centre.”
The following Memorandum of Understanding in key sectors were signed during Prime Minister Rabuka’s visit: (i) MOU between the Fiji Development Bank (FDB) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) of India to enhance collaboration in rural development, agricultural financing and financial inclusion;
(ii) MOU on Cooperation in the field of Standardization between the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Department of National Trade Measurement and Standards (DNTMS) of the Republic of Fiji;
(iii) MOU between National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), India and Pacific Polytechnic, Fiji, for cooperation in the field of human capacity building, skilling, and upskilling;
(iv) MOU between the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation (FCEF) to further economic and commercial ties; and
(v) Agreement between M/s. HLL Lifecare Ltd and Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Republic of Fiji on supply of medicines under Jan Aushadhi Scheme.
Note: This article was first published on the print version of the Fiji Times dated August 28, 2025