Fiji’s fist consignment of fish exports to the European Union market left our shores a few days ago.
This revelation was made to exporters, members of the private sector and invited guests at the Fiji Trade and Investment Bureau (FTIB) seminar for Exporters and Exporter of the Year Awards exhibition by the Ministry of Health’s Food Unit head Jope Tamani.
“The final paperwork from the EU gives the all clear for Golden Ocean and Solander Pacific to begin exporting to the EU market so it’s now up to the individual approved countries to meet their customer demand,” Mr Tamani said.
“Fiji needs you, we need a lot more companies to get in.”
The head of the Food Unit said fish was a global product and a migratory species so the onus was on the exporting countries to put in place certain standards in order to meet the requirements of the exporting world.
“To comply to the EU, you need to take control of everything, from your fishing vessel right up to your processing plant,” Mr Tamani said.
“Exporting to the EU market is not an obligation, it demands a certain level of commitment from the Government and the fishing industry, there are about five million consumers and 27 countries and an export industry with knowledge and understanding of the required system.”
Mr Tamani also urged exporters to take heed of the strict requirements member countries of the EU had with relation to food imports.
“There are 27 member states, they only have two primary purposes, to protect their consumers and also protect their country from any introduced plant or animal,” he said.
Exporters were also reminded to be aware of the regulations regarding fisheries exports as packaging for these exports were only packaged in “hygiene packages”.
Fiji was delisted from the EU market in 2008 and relisted in September 2010.