Opening doors for export with PTI Pacific Path to Market

May 17, 2017

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Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) NZ’s Pacific Path to Market workshops kick off again in Fiji from 18 and 19 May.

PTI NZ Trade Development Manager Ian Furlong and Trade Commissioner Michael Greenslade will lead the workshops hosted in association within Pacific Path to Market programme in-country partner the Fiji Export Council, the country’s lead Economic Development Agency (EDA).The Pacific Path to Market workshops will be held in Nadi on May 18 and Suva on the next day.  The programme is aimed primarily at businesses that are already selling products in their local markets.

Attending the workshop is the first step in the six-step Pacific Path to Market programme that leads to the sales mission to New Zealand.  The six steps are:

• Home based capability building – a one day workshop in the host country.
• Building a strong strategic link to local economic development partner.
• Potential to be invited to be part of a trade mission to New Zealand.
• Identifying capability gaps and learnings from the mission.
• Introduction to New Zealand buyers.
• Follow up and quantification of deals.

This year, PTI NZ worked with the EDAs in eight Pacific Island countries to bring 26 companies from those countries on the trade mission to Auckland’s Pasifika Festival in March under the Pacific Path to Market programme. The four-day sales mission enabled the small businesses to showcase their products, market themselves and meet with potential buyers and distributors in New Zealand.

Rasalato Yanuyanurua of Aswhy Enterprises was pleased with the learnings he made from attending Fiji’s delegation to Pasifika.Three of the four Fiji companies invited on this year’s trade mission to Pasifika were part of last year’s Pacific Path to Market workshops in Fiji.  Living Springs, a commodities processing, packing export company; Lami Kava – a 30-year Kava producer; Aswhy Enterprises – timber exporters including timber for guitar backs, sustainable agriculture and civil and engineering consultants were part of the Pacific Path to Market delegation to Pasifika. Kava producer Bilo Sinai was also invited to participate.

“I would like to thank PTI NZ for their support and guidance throughout the mission and also for providing valuable lessons to us as SMEs and Pacific Island businesses.”

The one-day Pacific Path to Market workshop should give participants a good understanding of the basics of exporting. The topics range from learning the attributes of a successful export company, who the customers are, packaging and labelling, buying, selling and the legal requirements surrounding exporting plus a raft of other topics.

The Pacific Path to Market programme workshop will also be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Tuesday, July 18 and Port Vila in Vanuatu on Friday, July 21. A workshop is also planned in Noumea, New Caledonia, the date for which will be announced shortly.

An exciting new dimension has been added to the programme in the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. A workshop will be held outside of the major cities, essentially reaching out to local businesses away from the main centres.  “We will be talking to businesses not just in the cities to spread out our reach,” Mr Furlong said.

Twelve Pacific Path to Market workshops are planned for 2017 in close co-operation with the EDAs of each of the respective Pacific island countries.

Confirmed dates for Pacific Path to Market Workshops are:

May 18 – Nadi; May 19 – Suva, Fiji

July 18 – Honiara, Solomon Islands

July 21 – Port Vila, Vanuatu

End July (date TBA) – Noumea, New Caledonia

For more information please contact PTI Trade Development Manager Ian Furlong on ian.f@pacifictradeinvest.co.nz

Source: Pacific Periscope