Commerce and Employers Federation congratulate PM on appointment

The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation has commended and congratulated the Prime Minister on his appointment as Chair of the International Sugar Organization.

Chief executive Nesbitt Hazelman said Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama’s appointment to this peak body is timely given the reforms the Prime Minister personally pushed through to ensure that Fiji continues to remain competitive in the sugar industry.

Hazelman said the Federation is optimistic that the sugar industry with its reform agenda currently in place will be able to greatly improve on efficiency and deliver on contractual obligations under the various sugar protocols that it is signatory to.

He said as a developing island state, the recent appointment of the Prime Minister as Chair will draw the much needed attention to the struggles of small island states and the vulnerabilities that they encounter in the face of global competition.

About 200,000 people in the country directly depend on the sugar industry.    

Meanwhile, the Fiji Trades Union Congress had earlier stressed that it appreciates the international campaign against the International Sugar Organization’s decision to hand over the Chair to Commodore Bainimarama.

The International Union of Food and Agriculture Workers had also strongly stated their disapproval of Fiji’s leadership in the International Sugar Organization.


Story by: Vijay Narayan