The Fiji national Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Green Trade Project and joint IMPACT-SAFE* workshop took place on 12 and 13 June 2023 from 9:00am – 4:30pm at the Novotel in Lami, Fiji.

A broad spectrum of participants attended, ranging from government officials to private sector representatives. Participants included producers and exporters of ginger and other agricultural commodities. The first day of the workshop focused on reviewing and validating the progress made over the past year under the MSG Green Trade Project. Highlights of the day included the presentation of the voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) assessment report on ginger, and the unveiling of the Fiji ginger export guide. The day concluded with a review of the NTM data collection conducted under the MSG Green Trade Project, and its ongoing integration within IMPACT, with UNCTAD presenting policy recommendations tied to their work on VSS and non-tariff measures (NTM).

The second day featured presentations from the Fiji Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives and Small Enterprises on its international trade and investment relationships. The Pacific Community (SPC), a co-organizer, outlined SAFE’s contributions towards bolstering commodity exports, particularly in relation to sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) in the European Union and across the region.

Throughout the workshop, participants offered valuable feedback and recommendations on the presented work and engaged in fruitful discussions about the challenges of exporting, specifically the complexities of complying with NTMs and accessing related information.

Summarized outcomes:

-       MSG Green Trade Project: Participants acknowledged the two reports presented by UNCTAD, which will be revised to include feedbacks from participants, and recognized the valuable NTM data collected for potential inclusion in the NTM TRAINS database.

-       IMPACT / SAFE: Participants acknowledged the activities to be undertaken under these two European Union funded projects. They will offer their support to implement the different activities and will get in touch with the implementation partners if they identify specific areas of support.

Next steps:

-       MSG Green Trade Project: The national activities will be finalized, before proceeding to the regional activity phase of the project.

-       IMPACT / SAFE: The current planned workflow will be pursued.

To know more about NTM and VSS:

·         Non-tariff measures (NTM)

·         Voluntary sustainable standards (VSS) assessment   

*IMPACT stands for “Improving Pacific Island Customs and Trade” and SAFE for “Safe Agriculture trade Facilitation through Economic integration in the Pacific”. Both projects are funded by the European Union.