Attorney-General and Minister for Industry and Trade, Mr. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum,
Our kind sponsors, Fijian Made Licensed Companies
Members of the media, Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning and thank you for joining us.


I welcome you all to the Launch of the Fijian Made Facebook Competition, by the Attorney-General and Minister for Industry and Trade.

Social media is becoming an increasingly important tool for information and communication. Through the initiatives of the Fijian Government, ushering in 4G broadband connection and establishing 16 tele-centres around the country to name a few, more Fijians have now access to the internet and social media platforms like Facebook.

The Fijian Government and the Ministry is also using this avenue (internet) to take the “Fijian Made” campaign to all parts of Fiji – and also beyond our borders – giving the Fijian Made brand a ‘national’, as well as, an ‘international’ profile.

Since its beginning in November 2011, the Fijian Made Facebook page has reached almost 49,000 “likes” or friends – making it the most popular local Facebook page in Fiji.

The friends of Fijian Made are not only local, but hail from Australia and New Zealand, PNG, and Solomon Islands in region, and also from the UK, India, USA, Canada, and even from Africa. (Countries where former nationals reside.)

The Campaign has reached the Fijian diaspora far and wide and we are confident that this trend will continue. We have given former Fijians a means of connecting with Fiji – giving them a home away from home. Our overseas Fijians also are fond of locally made and grown products and would like to see them available in their countries

Whilst the Facebook competition that we are about to launch is for Fiji nationals only, overall the Fijian Government will continue (in its 2014 work program), to market Fijian Made as a reliable and a value-for-money brand in the local, regional and international markets.

Fijian made brand for example is gaining in-roads in the Melanesian and regional markets. Importers from Pacific Island countries take a certain degree of comfort from the Fijian Made logos and in some cases are demanding it.

Therefore, I urge our licensed companies to proudly display the Fijian Made logo whether you are selling to the local market or for exports.

The Ministry is grateful to Hon Prime Minister and Minister for Industry and Trade for their continued commitment to the campaign. Since the launch of the campaign, over 151 companies and 766 products have been licensed. It is worth noting that during this period, the Government waived all fees for joining the Fijian Made Brand.

Ladies and Gentlemen, coming back to today’s event, the launch Facebook competition is a significant milestone in the Fijian Made-Buy Fijian campaign, we look forward a large number of Fijians participating.

With those words, I request the Attorney-General and Minister for Industry and Trade, Mr. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum to address us and launch the Fijian Made Facebook competition.


FIJIAN MADE FACEBOOK PAGE COMPETITION

• The competition will run through a “tab” that will appear on the Fijian Made Facebook page.

i. How the Competition works

To participate in this competition, one has to LIKE the Fijian Made Facebook page first.

ii. Submission Phase (Three weeks)

• In order to be eligible to submit a photo to the contest, you must be a resident of Fiji.
• After that, it’s only takes 3 simple steps to participate:

Step 1 – Buy any product licensed under the Fijian Made-Buy Fijian Campaign and snap a photo of yourself with the product, making sure any one of the eight Fijian Made-Buy Fijian Campaign logos is visible.

Step 2 – Upload your photo through the submission form on Fijian Made Photo Contest tab (the submission period will run from 24 January to 16 February).

Step 3 – Share your photo with your friends to get as many votes as possible.

iii. Voting Phase 1 (Two Weeks)

• After 16 February, participants will no longer be able to upload photos and the voting phase will commence.

• In the first phase of voting, beginning 17 February, visitors to the Fijian Made Facebook page will be able to vote once per day on all valid entries.

• The first phase of voting will end on 2 March. From this phase, the 30 photos with the most votes will move on to the second and final phase of voting. .

iv. Voting Phase 2 (Two Weeks)

• During the second and final phase of voting, visitors will be able to vote on the finalists from the previous round.

• Two weeks (3 March – 16 March) will be allocated for the second and final phase of voting

COMPETITION PRIZES

• The photo with the most votes after the second phase of voting (including only votes from the second phase) will receive a grand prize of FJD$1,000.

• The 10 runners-up will each receive a Tablet worth $300, a Fijian Made Gift Hamper worth $30 and a Fijian Crafted Handicraft.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
• Sponsors:

i. Vodafone Fiji Limited – sponsored 10 Tablets worth $300 each

ii. FMF Foods Limited – Fijian Made basket of goods

iii. Punja Group of Companies – Fijian Made basket of goods