Govt gives $300K to garment marketing

October 21, 2009 12:02:19 PM

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The government says it will contribute $300,000 over the next three years to the garment industry to help in its newly launched “Make it in Fiji” campaign. 

Attorney General and Minister for Industry and Trade Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said this indicated government’s willingness to support industries that contribute significantly to Fiji’s exports and employment. 

“We want to create an economic environment in which we have stable and forward looking fiscal and monetary policies, and we are actually working through that," he said.

"We will provide incentives to the various industries but we want the businesses to stand on their own feet. That is the whole purpose of creating a liberalized economy. A liberalized economy means that everybody would compete on a level playing field but government does pick and choose areas in which it can provide incentives, in particular if it’s export driven, particularly if they provide employment to Fijians. In particular if it has a positive impact on our foreign reserves,” Sayed-Khaiyum said.

“On that note, Kalpesh’s (Solanki - TCF Council of Fiji) persistence and professionalism has paid off. He made a submission to us in respect to a marketing budget, a marketing strategy using Make it in Fiji, for the next three years, which we have endorsed, with the office of the Prime Minister. We are now committing ourselves to $300,000 for the marketing budget for Make it in Fiji for the next three years,” he added. 

Fiji’s garment industry has embarked on a new awareness campaign where it aims to make itself more visible to buyers in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America. 

Urging those buyers to “Make it in Fiji,” the campaign is a result of a three year industry development program that was funded by the government of Australia through its AUSAid and the Australian High Commission in Fiji.