Ox & Palm

This followed Fiji’s Biosecurity Authority executive chair, Xavier Riyaz Khan, and Fiji’s Trade Commissioner to PNG, Navitalai Tuivuniwai, travelling with a delegation to Port Moresby last month to defuse a looming trade war.

Tuivuniwai told Loop PNG from Fiji that a final decision will be known soon.

“Right now the technical team from the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji are in the process of submitting the final report to government for their endorsement,” Tuivuniwai said.   

A team of officials from Fiji’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and Biosecurity Authority, will be arriving in Port Moresby over the weekend to meet with officials from PNG to iron out issues that sparked the trade impasse. The issue between PNG and Fiji is over Ox & Palm and other PNG Made products.

This was revealed in a letter dated 21st September, 2016, from Minister Siddiq Koya to PNG’s Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry, Richard Maru.

Its leader Don Polye described the row as an ‘embarrassment for PNG’.

“The Prime Minister and his Trade Minister should leave the matter with the Foreign Affairs Minister, whose department has the capacity and systematic memory to deal with it within the protocols of conventions and agreements.

“It should have easily been dealt with amicably without any complications through the diplomatic channels,” said Polye.

He said PNG is a ‘big brother’ among the Melanesian countries, adding it lodging a trade row with Fiji only reflected naivety and incompetency.