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Fiji’s annual Exporter of the Year Awards has come to an end with the Levuka-based Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO) winning the main Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year award.
PAFCO chairman Peniasi Kunatuba said while receiving the award that it wasn’t easy for a rural-based company to win the award.
Kunatuba earlier told reporters after PAFCO was given the Large Exporter of the Year Award that following a break-even year in 2008 because of a fire at its factory premises, the company was looking at a $3m profit at the end of the year.
Pure Fiji has won the inaugural TFL Hall of Fame Award and is a triple winner at the awards, having won the Unique or Emerging Exporter of the Year Award and the Exporter to the United States of America Award.
In concluding the evening, Annie Rogers, chief executive officer of award organiser, the Fiji Trade and Investment Bureau, said the awards were launched 17 years ago to recognise the achievements of Fiji’s exporters.
“The 18 categories of awards we now have show that Fiji is a quality exporter across all sectors.”
The full list of winners:
1. Small Exporter of the Year: Avonsys Ltd
2. Medium Exporter of the Year: Pacific Batteries Ltd
3. Large Exporter of the Year: PAFCO
4. Services Exporter of the Year: South Sea Towage Ltd
5. Unique or Emerging Exporter of the Year: Pure Fiji
6. Exporter to New Zealand: Biscuit Company of Fiji
7. Exporter to Australia: Biscuit Company of Fiji
8. Exporter to the Pacific Islands: ANZ Pacific Operations Ltd
9. Exporter to the United States of America: Pure Fiji
10. Indigenous Exporter of the Year: Ben’s Trading Ltd
11. Agriculture Exporter of the Year: Ben’s Trading Ltd
12. Fisheries Exporter of the Year: PAFCO
13. Forestry Exporter of the Year: Tropik Wood Industries Ltd
14. Tourism Services Exporter of the Year: Shangri-La Fijian Resort and Spa
15. Agro-processing Exporter of the Year: Natural Foods (Fiji) Ltd
16. Information Communication Technology Services Exporter of the Year: Affiliated Computer Services
17. TFL Hall of Fame Award: Pure Fiji
18. TFL Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Award: PAFCO
