Fiji’s Prime Minister Bainimarama Commodore Bainimarama and his delegation comprising of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Fiji Trade and Investment Bureau (FTIB), Mr Adrian Sofield and Mr Ravuni Uluilakeba visited the head office and operation base of the Gilontas Indonesia on Friday after his visit to Jarkarta for the opening of the Fiji Mission en-route to Kula Lumpur, Malaysia.
Gilontas Ocean is a fishing company that has been operating over the past thirty-five (35) years and developed expertise in the fields of capture, processing and marketing.
A philosophy that has marked the success of Gilontas is the creation of synergies with the local authorities and communities in all aspects of its operations. It has been successful in Indonesia and is already setting up operations in Fiji where it also hopes to be successful.
A hall mark of the Company is its respect and adherence to conservation of the stocks, the protection of the environment and the compliance to standards such as the rigorous one pertaining to the European Union.
The Prime Minister and his delegation were briefed and taken on a tour of the processing facility, which was mainly for exporting tuna species to the United States, Japan and Europe.
The Prime Minister after the visit said that he was extremely happy and excited that Gilontas has decided to set-up in Fiji and that he and his office will do everything possible to ensure this becomes a full reality.
His emphasis was on the development of the fisheries sector, which included a specific focus on the tuna industry given the various developments elsewhere in the world, and the many prospects for economic and social advancement for the rural and marine-based communities in Fiji, which will be further enhanced by the setting up of Gilontas in Fiji.
The Prime Minister and his delegation were later visited at his hotel by the Governor of Bali, the Honourable Made Mangku Pastika.
The duo discussed issues including tourism where the latter spoke of the uniqueness of Bali and Fiji in building resilient industries based on the uniqueness of their cultures and traditions which he added must be nurtured and kept at sustainable levels.
The Governor also informed the Prime Minister of the existence of a Tourism University to which interested individuals from Fiji are most welcomed to attend and at the same time be exposed to the Bali industry.
The Governor believed in networking as the basis for sharing the many visitors and tourists that are in search for variety and new experiences.
The Governor of Bali also expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister Bainimarama for the lead role Fiji played in Indonesia’s inclusion as an Official Observer at the recently Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Meeting which the Prime Minister chaired.
The Prime Minister was happy that was the case given Indonesia’s critical importance as the bridge for the MSG Group of countries and indeed the Pacific as a whole to the fast developing economies of Asia in which Indonesia herself is a leader.
And on Papua where the Governor was Police Chief for a number of years, both agreed that engagement and dialogue was essential as was started at the margins of the MSG meeting where boarder security issues were discussed between the delegations of PNG and Indonesia.
The Prime Minister’s delegation was supported by Ambassador Cavuilati of the Fiji Mission in Jakarta and Mr Penioni Naliva of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister and his entourage left for Malaysia on Friday evening where Commodore Bainimarama was to address Fijian students studying in various institutions there.
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