Page 29 - IB Sept-Oct 2020

Fiji-Taiwan: 50 years of Enduring Friendship

Message from Representative Jessica Lee, Taipei Trade Office Taiwan Assists Fiji’s Agro-industry in 2020 to include commercial production to boost market profit- An alumnus, Dr. Kaliova Ravuiwasa, the Acting Dean at the Fiji
th
The 10 of October is an auspicious and historical date for both Pushkar Charan, a farmer in Sigatoka Valley, has been toiling ability after its initial success. National University’s College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forest-
island nations as it is the National Day for the Republic of China the land daily for more than 50 years to provide for his family. The ry, believes Taiwan’s scholarship support has been vital for build-
(Taiwan) and Fiji’s Independence Day. While we in Taiwan cel- 74-year-old sells his produce at various markets and local resorts. Health and Education opportunities ing capacity in Fiji. Dr. Ravuiwasa studied in Taiwan from 2003 to
th
ebrate the 109 National Day, it also gives me great pride and A former sugar-cane grower, Mr. Charan was concerned for his Taiwan has been sending medical missions to Fiji since 2006, 2011, and described the experience as “life-changing.” He is one
honor to congratulate Fiji on its 50 years of independence. On this future when Fiji’s sugar industry faced a decline in the late 1990s. as part of its global medical diplomacy initiative. Seven teams of of the only entomologists, or the study of insects. “I’ve had a lot of
celebratory milestone, it is fitting for me to highlight that people of That’s the same year he connected with the Taiwan Technical Mis- 47 medical staff from the Mackay Hospital Medical Corps have life-learning experiences in Taiwan and I will forever hold my time
Taiwan and Fiji continue to enjoy a warm and enduring relation- sion (TTM), which changed his fortunes for the better. “They gave completed more than 3,000 outpatient services from 2006 to there close to my heart,” he said.
ship that spans nearly 50 years. The partnership has stood the me free advice and equipment with new methods to plant sugar 2014 in Fiji. Twelve teams of 80 medical staff from the Cathay The Taiwan Scholarship is for under-graduate, graduate and
test of time, despite some major challenges along the way. and I doubled my production,” he said. Medical Corps have completed more than 5,600 outpatient ser- Ph.D. programs. Taiwan is pleased that it is able to provide coun-
We are proud to be one of Fiji’s longest partners in the agricul- The TTM’s tropical fruit and vegetable project’s aim was to use vices and 127 surgeries from 2014-2019 in gastroenterology, ear, tries like Fiji opportunities for higher education, seen as crucial
tural sector and beyond. The government of Republic of China advanced technological methods, modern planting techniques nose and throat, – free of charge. This included medical proce- for sustainable development. The three scholarship recipients of
(Taiwan) officially opened a trade mission in 1971, just one year and high quality seedlings to improve farmers’ production. Farm- dures in urban and rural centers, such as Rakiraki, Ba, Tavua, this year, Saravina Tikoduadua, Pritika Chand and Regina Singh
after Fiji gained independence from British rule, and years later, ers were taught how to plant 20 and more different types of crops, Lautoka, Sigatoka, Korolevu, Lomawai, Cuvu, Labasa, Nabou- are grateful to Taiwan’s continuous support to Fijian students and
the first Taiwan technical team was sent to Seaqaqa, Vanua Levu. including papaya, lettuce, sweet pepper, capsicum, melon, cherry walu, Savusavu and Seaqaqa. hope to contribute to Fiji’s development when they return.
To share Taiwan’s modern agriculture development experience, tomato, tomato, eggplant, cabbage and cucumber, which con- Medical services and good health care is vital for Fijians and
we started by helping sugarcane farmers boost their sugarcane tributed at least US$ 300,000 to the agricultural sector annually. Taiwan is pleased to share its experiences. Taiwan’s global highly Taiwan’s Assistance to Fiji’s Aquaculture Industry
production, and then moved to help farmers diversify planting Mr. Charan is among 458 Fijian farmers that have received as- ranked healthcare system provided rapid and efficient response The Fiji-Taiwan aquaculture cooperation project is boosting em-
from sugarcane to fruit and vegetables in order to adapt and miti- sistance from the TTM. Taiwan’s technical team found markets for to pandemic. Its successful containment of COVID-19 and con- ployment, economic growth, and food security, while taking some
gate the impact of global sugar price decline. We also found the the farmers and provided efficient transportation support to keep tribution to global efforts to combat the deadly pandemic was pressure off the country’s intensively exploited inshore fisheries.
next produce for farmers’ export markets such as papaya. The costs low and profit margins relatively high. seen as a model for the world. This April, when most world lead- Taiwan has been providing crucial technical expertise and hands-
latest project is to expand Fiji’s tropical fruits industry. We would Sugar used to be Taiwan’s major export commodity several ers were deeply troubled by COVID-19, a detailed article in the on support to Fiji’s aquaculture sector since 2018, to develop a
like to highlight that over decades’ cooperation there are more decades ago. That was the reason Fiji’s late President Ratu Sir Forbes magazine titled ‘What Do Countries with the Best Coro- self-sufficient, environmentally-sustainable, and economically vi-
than twenty kinds of new varieties of crops being cultivated, ex- Kamisese Mara asked Taiwan to bring its sugar industry experi- navirus Responses Have in Common? Women Leaders’ attracted able industry.
perimented and harvested in Fiji, and hundreds of farmers have ence to Fiji in 1978. While Taiwan is now one of the world’s leading global attention. Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen, was praised in According to Dr. Robert Chang of the TTM, a marine specialist
partnered with Taiwan Technical Mission for modern farming tech- countries in tropical fruit cultivation, earning the nickname “Fruit the article, alongside other female leaders including Germany’s based in Caboni, Fiji’s suitable climate, good water quality and
niques and knowledge, high quality seedlings and marketing as- Kingdom”, the technical team now brings Fiji the know-how of Tai- Chancellor Angela Markel, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda rich land makes it fertile for aquaculture development. “At the mo-
sistance. wan’s multi-billion dollar fruit and vegetable industry. Ardern and Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir, for their ment, all our work has been focused on shrimps but we will slowly
Nurtured with time, our partnerships have also expanded to The Green Pearl and dragon fruit plants were introduced as part stellar coronavirus responses. move into milkfish and grouper farming. Our target is to produce
more key areas such as education, aquaculture, health, solar of a Taiwan-Fiji technical cooperation project, launched in 2015 to Besides medical assistance, Fijian citizens have also benefitted 1,000 tons of shrimps annually by 2029 and for that we need ap-
energy, capacity building and training programs. Currently there help the Ministry of Agriculture establish a new fruit industry. The from numerous higher education scholarships at Taiwan’s various proximately 50 million of larvae,” he said. “Shrimp farming is a
are five Fijian students studying at Taiwan universities on Taiwan TTM grafts Taiwan Guava branch onto Fiji’s local guava rootstock internationally-recognized universities. new industry in Fiji but it has huge potential. We have been work-
Scholarship scheme. to produce a new fusion of Fiji-Taiwan Guava – The Green Pearl. ing with farmers to ensure that they select the right location, with
When we review the exchanges, Fiji’s dignitaries including the The Green Pearl variety is popular with local farmers because it good water quality, transportation and access to markets.”
President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Foreign Minister, mem- adapts well to the Fiji soil and weather, and customers love the As part of the three-year project, Taiwan has helped re-build
bers of Parliament have visited Taipei to strengthen the partner- taste. The Green Pearl and dragon fruit are also being supplied to and upgrade the Caboni Multi-Species Hatchery in Rakiraki which
ships, and the support from the grassroots have enhanced peo- Fiji’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry, where the demand for the was damaged during Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016, with im-
ple to people friendships. The late Prime Minister and President of locally-grown produce is usually high. The project was expanded proved soft and hard breeding infrastructure, including 11 earthen
Fiji Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara is fondly remembered as he was the ponds and eight concrete pools. It will be used to produce three
one who initiated the Fiji-Taiwan relationship. million post-larvae seawater shrimps by December 31, 2021, but
Taiwan, similar in size with Fiji, once a recipient country of Asian 200 adult milkfish and 50 adult grouper fish as broodstock can be
Development Bank, now is one of the world’s leading innovation- used for years afterwards. The milkfish will be supplied as bait to
driven economy with robust democracy. With mission and believe- Fiji’s $F155m tuna industry.
“Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping,” we look forward to the Taiwan Technical Mission has held four capacity-building work-
next 50-years of prosperous and fruitful Taiwan-Fiji relationship. shops for 190 people since the aquaculture project began. The
training is based on Taiwan’s expertise in the aquaculture sector,
which integrates technology and science with traditional methods.
A medical team from Taiwan Cathay Hospital leads surgery at the Lautoka Hospital,
alongside Fijian health specialists in 2018. Medical teams from Taiwan have assisted Taiwan’s methods are recognized for its environmentally- friendly
thousands of Fijians since 2006. Photo: Taiwan Cathay Hospital and high production rates which can help Fiji realize its potential
in aquaculture industry.
Fresh papaya harvests in 2009 brought smiles to the faces of Sigatoka farmers.
Photo: Taiwan ICDF

Late Fijian President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara visited a Taiwan Technical Mission Participants during a one-day agriculture workshop organized by TTM in Sigatoka From left: Taiwan scholarship recipients Pritika Chand, Regina Singh, Taiwan’s Rep-
farm. Taiwan’s agricultural support to Fiji laid the foundations of friendship between on July 31, 2020. Each participant was given a Taiwan guava sapling grafted onto resentative to Fiji Jessica Lee and Saravina Tikoduadua in Suva on July 23, 2020. Hatchery Technicians Sakaraia Bulivakarua (left) and Teresia Verekoto display fresh
the two countries. Photo: Taipei Trade Office a Fiji Guava tree. Photo: Taipei Trade Office Photo: Sheldon Chanel shrimp to the media at the Galoa fishery station. Photo: Taipei Trade Office
Islands Business, September/October 2020 29