‘GDP expected to contract’

‘We need to commercialise agriculture’

There are a lot of areas where the country could make gains in reaching the full potential of the agricultural sector according to the Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Environment, Dr Mahendra Reddy. Speaking at the signing of the memorandum of understanding between BSP and Agricultural Marketing Authority last week (AMA), the minister said this...

The return and Alice’s glass art journey

Inside Alice Hill’s annealing oven, glass designs take their turn cooling down. Before they ended up there, they are first carefully blown from molten glass removed from a crucible where the heat goes up to a daunting 1100-degrees centigrade. They are paddled into shape and resurrected to life, manifested in bottles, plates, and an endless array...

Mill downtime affects crushing

The Fiji Sugar Corporation’s (FSC) Lautoka mill recorded 23 hours of mechanical stoppages caused by problems encountered in the front end of the powerhouse. In its latest weekly crushing update, FSC stated while the problem was rectified within the week, outside stops of three hours were directly associated with rain which brought relief after a...

Political parties condemn road group

Two political parties have strongly condemned China Railway No.5 Engineering Group Fiji Ltd for sending workers home while roads continue to deteriorate on a daily basis. The Fiji Labour Party (FLP) and National Federation Party (NFP) also questioned the firm’s excuse that it was not familiar with Fijian labour laws and offered this as the...

France moves to freeze plans for environmental tax on airlines

PARIS (Reuters) – France is preparing to put plans for new environmental taxes on the airline sector on hold, officials said on Friday, despite a government push to speed up moves towards a greener economy. Before the coronavirus crisis brought air traffic to a standstill and many airlines to their knees, the sector had been...

New Jaagriti pigeon pea variety released

A new Jaagriti pigeon pea variety was released in Nadi yesterday after some 15 years of research conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Research Division. Officiating at the event held at Kishore Verma’s Farm in Korovuto, Minister for Agriculture Dr Mahendra Reddy noted the significance of the release of the new variety in relation to...

Parliament – Small Grant Scheme funded 171 projects since 2018

The Small Grant Scheme (SEG) has funded a total of 171 projects at a combined cost of $12.6million. This was revealed in a written response provided by Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama following a question raised by Opposition MP Mosese Bulitavu in Parliament querying statistics and costing on projects funded by small grant project allocation...

White House suggests Congress pass standalone bill to help U.S. airlines

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Giving U.S. airlines $25 billion in aid over the next six months could save more than 30,000 jobs, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters on Thursday after meeting with the companies’ top executives, suggesting lawmakers approve a separate assistance package for the struggling corporations. Congress has been deadlocked over...

Port Denarau Marina: Blue Lane initiative attracts 72 vessels

The Blue Lane initiative has so far attracted 72 vessels, including six superyachts and several pending applications. This was revealed by publicly-listed company Port Denarau Marina in its market announcement via the South Pacific Stock Exchange (SPX). Company chairman David Skeggs said it was pleasing to see the gradual increase in their occupancy from the...

Fiji can expect new innovative programs to support green growth investments

Fiji can expect new innovative programs supporting ‘Green Growth Investments’ to emerge through strengthened engagements between the Fijian Government and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), an international organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing economies. This was emphasised at a meeting held on Monday this week between...

Businesses urged to work with councils

Businesses in the Western Division have been urged to work with municipal councils on developments within their towns and city. Local Government Minister Premila Kumar made the comment while touring the region last week. She met with representatives from municipal councils and local businesses to discuss current and future developments. Speaking to members of the...

FNPF makes good on members’ missed payments

The Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) will make a special payment for 1195 members who were inadvertently missed out in scheduled payments in the last two fortnights. According to FNPF, the majority of these members were in the phase two cycle two and others were in phase three. FNPF stated while the Fund had publicised...

The show goes on

Value City is back in business in the Capital City, four months after a fire destroyed its Suva Flea Market branch. The second-hand clothing chain aptly reopened at the site of the former Regal Theatre on Suva’s Victoria Pde. Value City Regal outlet was opened by Australian High Commissioner to Fiji John Feakes, who lauded...

Slipway rehab

The Fiji Ships and Heavy Industries Ltd (FSHIL) for many years have been providing ship repairs, maintenance, heavy industries services and emergency slipping in Fiji and around the region. The company, a subsidiary of the Fiji Ports Corporation Ltd (FPCL), is 100 per cent owned by the corporation when it took over in 2010 with...

Air New Zealand plans to cut up to 385 more cabin crew jobs

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Air New Zealand Ltd <AIR.NZ> said on Wednesday it aims to cut up to 385 more cabin crew jobs due to the lack of long-haul international flying, which would take its COVID-19 related job losses to around 37% of its workforce. The percentage figure is higher than the cuts to nearly 30%...

Bus firm unveils four new coaches

Pacific Transport Ltd has added four new coaches worth $1.2 million to its fleet. According to a statement from the company, the batch of four new coaches were Euro 4 compliant and powered by rear-mounted inter-cooled turbocharged UK Cummins engine which generated maximum power with low fuel consumption. “These four coaches will service Suva, Lautoka,...

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