FTIB Roadshow

The Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau is organising a Roadshow to raise awareness on new regulations regarding reserved and restricted lists that came into effect on 11 July 2008. The Roadshow will be held on Wednesday, 12 November, from 8.30am to 11.30am, at the Southern Cross Hotel, Suva. For more information, pls call Florence Nand on telephone (679) 3315988 or email florence@ftib.org.fj.

For advice on investment in Fiji, pls contact our company, Gilbert & Samuels Company Limited, on telephones (679) 3342719 or (679) 3544897 or email info@gilbert.com.fj.

Seminar : Hidden Profits in Exporting to the USA

The Fiji Trade Commission, Los Angeles, in conjunction with the FTIB will be conducting a seminar on profitable exporting opportunities to the USA on Thursday, 11 October 2007, at the Southern Cross Hotel, Suva.

The workshop topics include :

• Profitable exports to the USA - come and learn which Fiji exports to the USA are growing and profitable, and how your products can be promoted in USA trade shows through the Fiji Trade Commission.
• Hidden Profits in Exporting to the USA - learn the technical and business issues of US import requirements, customs regulations, logistics, distribution channels, etc, and how these can make your businesses more profitable, with special examples on : handicraft and gift items, black pearls, agro business, fisheries, timber and mahogany, and manufactured goods and food products.

Presenters are :

1. Ilisoni Vuidreketi - Fiji Trade Commissioner to the USA;
2. Ashok Sadhwani - Expert and Consultant in USA International Trade Compliance and Operations.

Who should attend?

• exporters and established businesses with a product(s) ready for export;
• export-ready companies and established businesses who are non-USA exporters;
• micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs);
• current exporters to the USA will also find the seminar useful.

Registration fee is F$35.00 per person. For registration, pls contact Ms Alka Nand at FTIB on telephone (679) 3315988 or e-mail alka@ftib.org.fj.

Registration closes today, Tuesday, 9 October 2007.

Exporting to New Zealand Seminar Cancelled

The seminar organised by the Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau, in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commission (PITIC) NZ, on exporting to New Zealand has been cancelled due to the political events yesterday, Thursday, 14 June 2007.

For more information or to register, pls contact Jogina Yang on e-mail jogina@ftib.org.fj or telephone (679) 3315988.

Fresh Prawn Aquaculture Training

The Institute of Marine Resources of the Faculty of Islands and Oceans, University of the South Pacific, is holding a Freshwater Prawn Aquaculture Training Program on Wednesday, 20 June, to Friday, 22 June 2007 at the Lower Campus, University of the South Pacific, Laucala Bay, Suva. The topics to be covered include :

• introduction to aquaculture;
• prawn status and biology;
• prawn diseases;
• hatchery operations;
• pond construction;
• pond management economic modelling.

Fees are F$500.00 per person and will include training materials, field trips, teas and lunches.

A consultancy service will be available as a follow up for those interested. This includes : farm visits, feasibility study, and farm design.

Post-larval prawns can be purchased from the University.

For more information and registration, pls contact Alan Resture on telephone (679) 3232940 or e-mail resture_a@usp.ac.fj.

Seminar of Exporting to New Zealand

The Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau, in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commission (PITIC) NZ, is organising a seminar on exporting to New Zealand. The objective of the seminar will be to boost awareness and update stakeholders on the various requirements, challenges and procedures of exporting to New Zealand. The seminar will cover the following issues :

• general packaging and labelling requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables;
• NZ export requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables;
• NZ export requirements guideline and how to use this guideline;
• labelling requirement of fresh goods and processed goods;
• requirements for exporting resource-based products to NZ; and
• bar coding.

Exporters, potential exporters, freight forwarders and interested stakeholders are invited to attend the seminar which will take place on Tuesday, 19 June 2007, 8am to 5pm, at JJ's on the Park, Suva.

Registration fee is F$35.00 per person.

For more information or to register, pls contact Jogina Yang on e-mail jogina@ftib.org.fj or telephone (679) 3315988.

FTIB Exporting to the USA Workshop

The Fiji Trade Commission Los Angeles, Fiji Embassy Washington, the Fiji Mission to the UN and the Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau (FTIB) together with senior executives of the Montalvan Sales Inc will be conducting two workshops on exporting to the USA.

Topics covered will include :

• Understanding the US Market - Trends, Challenges and Opportunities;
• Things to Know Before you Export to the USA;
• Preparing Your Goods for Export - quality, packaging, labelling and shipping;
• US Market Entry Requirements.

The sessions planned are :

• Suva, Tuesday, 17 April 2007, 9am to 5pm, JJ's on the Park;
• Lautoka, Thursday, 19 April 2007, 9am to 5pm, Tanoa Waterfront Hotel.

The presenters are :

• Mrs Carmen Montalvan - Vice President and owner of Montalvan Sales Inc, one of the biggest US wholesaler and importer of food products from Fiji, NZ, Australia, Costa Rica and Chile;
• Ms Doreen Francis - Fiji Product Sales;
• Ms Marilyn Montalvan - Office Manager.

Bonus : Participants will receive a list of US companies (and contact details) who wish to buy kava, dalo, cassava, rourou, fish, fruits, vegetables, canned foods, chillies, beach-de-mer, etc, and participants may contact these US buyers directly.

Registration fees is F$35.00 per person. The fee will cover full day workshop, workshop materials, hand outs, morning and afternoon tea, list of products that Montalvans Sale Inc wish to buy.

For registration, pls contact Ms Katarina Lala on telephone (679) 3315988 or e-mail katarina@ftib.org.fj in Suva or Ms Yvonne Ravaga on telephone (679) 6667133 or e-mail yvonne@ftib.org.fj at Lautoka.

Department of Cooperative and Small Business Training

The Department of Cooperative and Small Business is organising the following training courses/seminars over the period from April to June 2007 :

• Flower Arrangements, 3 to 4 April 2007, at Cooperative and Small Business Training Institute, Draunibota, Lami, Fee is F$45.00 for day scholars and F$60.00 for boarders;
• Start Your Business, 16 to 20 April 2007, at Cooperative and Small Business Training Institute, Draunibota, Lami, Fee is F$40.00;
• Bread Making, 18 and 19 April 2007, at Cooperative and Small Business Training Institute, Draunibota, Lami, Fee is F$45.00 for day scholars and F$60.00 for boarders;
• Bee keeping, 8 to 10 May 2007, at Cooperative and Small Business Training Institute, Draunibota, Lami, Fee is F$45.00 for day scholars and F$60.00 for boarders;
• Start Your Business, 14 to 18 May 2007, at Cooperative and Small Business Training Institute, Draunibota, Lami, Fee is F$40.00;
• Bee Hives Case Making, 14 to 18 May 2007, at Cooperative and Small Business Training Institute, Draunibota, Lami, Fee to be confirmed;
• Start Your Business, 11 to 13 June 2007, at Cooperative and Small Business Training Institute, Draunibota, Lami, Fee is F$40.00;
• Store Management, 18 to 20 June 2007, Fee is F$45.00 for day scholars and F$60.00 for boarders.

For more information or to reserve a place, pls contact Naibuka Seruvatu or Neil Druavesi on telephone numbers (679) 3361552 or (679) 3362479. You can also e-mail naibuka.seruvatu@govnet.gov.fj.

Note : For short stay accommodation in a two bedroom rental home with sea views in Suva that is cheaper and more spacious than our Suva hotels, pls check out the appropriate links at the right hand side of this blog. To contact us for a booking, you can e-mail gilbert@connect.com.fj or call telephones (679) 3396427 or (679) 9921427.

Training on Business Diagnostic Tools

A training on Business Diagnostic Toolkit will be held in Suva from 23 to 27 April 2007 . The training will attendees :

• measure the growth capabilities of local businesses;
• identify risks and areas of opportunities;
• identify areas of risk within the business that need to be addressed in order to increase growth potential;
• implement a growth capability system into an economic development unit for long-term performance improvement;
• look at methodologies and underpinnings of the business fitness criteria through the use of the QLBS.com Measurement System; and more.

Target group are professional business assessors, trainers and analysts, bank assessors, government and NGO planners and other interested professionals in the public and private sectors.

Fee is F$300.00 per person and will cover :

• all cover materials;
• copy of the Qfitness (shorter version) and Business Ready diagnostic tools;
• software licence and support for 1 year (retail at N$3,000.00);
• assessment of one's business;
• national views of business readiness and SME business fitness.

For workshop is a collaboration between the Private Sector Development Unit of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Graduate School of Business, University of the South Pacific with funding from the European Union.

For further information and registration, pls contact Ravi Chand, National Centre for Small and Micro Enterprise Development (NCSMED) on e-mail rchand@ncsmed.org.fj or telephone (679) 3312991.

Note : For (short stay) accommodation in a two bedroom rental home with sea views in Suva that is cheaper and more spacious than our Suva hotels, check out links at the right hand side of this blog.