Fiji’s TCF industry thrown a lifeline
-Rajan Sami

It’s no secret that Fiji’s Textile, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) industry has been in survival mode for some time now.  At its peak in 2000, over 120 firms with as many as 20,000 employees rolled out exports totalling F$300 million.
Today’s statistics paint a far gloomier picture.Down to just 25 firms with some 4900 employees and last recorded sales of F$100 million in 2007, it’s no wonder that the term “sunset industry” has been bandied about.
The troubles began when the industry’s main market, Australia, progressively opened up and liberalised its economy during the 1980s and 1990s.
Up until then, Fiji had benefitted from the SPARTECA trade agreement, which allowed duty-free and unrestricted access into Australia for specified products originating from developing Pacific Islands countries.
To assist the Fijian TCF industry adapt and change in response to increased international competition, Australia introduced the SPARTECA-TCF scheme in 2001, allowing certain goods duty free entry that were otherwise not entitled under SPARTECA. Still, the rapidly shrinking industry has struggled. With SPARTECA-TCF expiring in 2011, Australia has funded a three-year industry support programme that began in 2007 and culminates at the end of 2009.
The Fiji TCF Training and Productivity Support Programme has assisted 18 individual firms in areas such as business planning, human resource management, marketing and structural redesign.
“This programme, valued at some A$2.4 million, has assisted the industry to take some of the difficult but necessary measures to enhance productivity and its international competitiveness,” said James Batley, Australian High Commissioner to Fiji at the launch of the marketing arm of the programme in Suva in November.
The programme’s timing couldn’t have been more prescient. “Back in 2007, no one would have predicted the global economic crisis, and so this support programme could not have come at a better time,” said Kalpesh Solanki, president of the TCF Council of Fiji at the launch.
“There is hardly any country that has not been affected by the global crisis, and Fiji is no different.”
Since early 2009, just over 1000 jobs have been lost, with exports expected to dip by at least 25 percent compared to 2008.
“For manufacturers, much of this year has been a cloud of uncertainty, given the depressed export markets, rising costs in Fiji, inevitable wage increases, weakening Australian and New Zealand dollars, and the strengthening of the US dollar,” said Solanki.
But there’s hope. The Make It In Fiji (MIIF) marketing campaign, launched as the three-year programme comes to a close, aims to raise the profile of Fiji’s revamped TCF industry in its traditional markets such as Australia and New Zealand, and beyond.
“In-depth research indicates that in various markets, knowledge of what Fiji can now offer in clothing and footwear manufacture is limited, so the campaign will address this with a bold call to action, encouraging potential buyers to make Fiji their preferred source of supply,” said Gary Hirsch, Marketing Services Advisor for the programme.
The MIIF campaign encompasses a comprehensive web portal (www.makeitinfiji.com), advertising in specialist trade publications and participation in overseas tradeshows.
“Despite the difficult trading conditions, for savvy manufacturers in Fiji, these times represent real opportunities to excel.
“With buyers reducing inventory levels, changing styles more frequently, and pursuing leaner supply chain models, this means suppliers have to be capable of producing smaller order quantities and delivering within shorter lead times,” said Solanki.
How adaptable Fiji’s TCF industry is to changing market requirements will be the ultimate test of survival. For now, it’s do or die.

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Niue on a ROLL—recycled, organic, local, low-tech

What do you do when you are trying to reconcile an organic lifestyle, fish waste problems and poor soil? You get creative.
Niue has called on the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to teach them how to turn fish into fertiliser.
 Any holidaymaker would describe the island of Niue as a haven of rest in the Pacific. Yet the 2000 people who live there are faced with challenges that must be overcome if they want to continue enjoying their island for generations to come.
The island is a raised coral atoll, hours away from any major city. The soil is poor yet Niue cannot afford to depend on distant imports, whether food or fertiliser. Health awareness is increasing, and a few farmers have come together to form an Organic Farming Association.
Fish is abundant yet Niue has chosen to protect its marine environment by sustainably using the resource. It is illegal to throw fish waste back to sea—to keep the sharks away—meaning the offal must be dealt with, without contaminating land and water.
 Healthy use of waste
SPC’s Fish Silage Project was presented at the Head of Fisheries meeting in February 2009 after trials were carried out on the island of Lifou, New Caledonia. Niue’s representative at the meeting expressed interest and a few months later, the project has become a reality, with the SPC team having just returned from Niue.
The idea of the project is to recycle waste by transforming fish offal into fertiliser and animal fodder. Carcasses and guts are crushed using a fish grinder. An acid, preferably organic, is then added to prevent putrefaction and accelerate enzyme activity. For a few days, the brew is regularly stirred and tested for acidity. The result is liquefied fish protein.
Locally produced fish silage can reduce the need for expensive imports of chemical fertilisers and stock feed. In addition to the NPK ingredients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) present in any chemical fertiliser, fish silage is rich in trace elements.
It nourishes the soil with microorganisms and protects plants, thus reducing dependence on pesticides. Fish silage can also be used as a food supplement for pigs and chickens. The selenium and omega oils it contains contribute to healthier animals and better quality eggs.
 Fish silage production does not require intensive training or investment. SPC has described the process with colourful drawings in an educational booklet that is available in French and English.
The booklet describes how Candice and Glen’s arid plot of land becomes a fruitful garden when they are lent a fish grinder to make fish silage.
They soon manage to purchase a grinder by selling excess production on the market. Silage can also be produced on a larger scale by the community or by fishing companies.
This environmentally-friendly solution needs to be encouraged as it offers good economic development opportunities. It brings together the fishing and agricultural sectors, contributes to a healthy lifestyle and can be an income-generating activity for women.
• For more information, please contact Michel Blanc, SPC’s Nearshore Fisheries Development and Training Adviser (phone: +687 26 09 51; email: MichelBl@spc.int