Exporters, BAF Iron Out Aust Port Clearance Concerns

No significant gains with market access to Australia by Fiji manufacturers have been registered.

Consultations have concluded between exporters and Biosecurity Authority of Fiji over concerns about quarantinefree access to Australia.

The revelations come after SunBiz highlighted the plight of exporters whose respective consignments were held up in Australian ports for 16 days.

In an earlier agreement, Fiji conceded to the Australia and New Zealand need for a high-end hygiene containerisation system for exports to the two big regional neighbouring economies.

But since the implementation of the Sea Container Hygiene System (SCHS) in Suva, no significant gains with market access to Australia by Fiji manufacturers have been registered.

“We were promised the holy grail of quarantine free-access to Australia,” Textile Clothing and Footwear Council president, Mike Towler, said.

The promise was made on the condition that Fiji implement and use the SCHS for export shipments to Australia.

“Alas, we have not achieved that inspectionfree access,” Mr Towler said.

“We continue to get our shipments detained for biosecurity inspection on arrival in Australia.”

Mr Towler owns and runs his own textile manufacturing operation in Suva, the final product which is shipped to Australia.

The council reported a recent 16-day clearance delay in Sydney, because of the failure of the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources inspection booking system. However, the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji said vessels not only loaded containers from Fiji ports, but from other ports throughout the Pacific.

In the process, vessels and containers raised the risk of cross contamination on route to Australia, Biosecurity Authority of Fiji said.

The Australian authorities said the change over to a digitalisation process introduced in Australian ports owed to contributed to some delay.

It also called for the establishment of a SCHS facility in Lautoka, to improve processes over the delay in clearance.

Biosecurity Authority Of Fiji

But exporters’ concerns over biosecurityrelated delays date back over a decade.

The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji said it held pocket consultation with exporters in the Central, Northern and Western divisions.

The target areas were Suva, Nausori, Sigatoka, Nadi, Lautoka, Labasa, Savusavu and Taveuni.

“The consultation aimed to update exporters about the Government’s recent initiatives that support Fiji exporters,” BAF said, in response to SunBiz queries.

Exporters were also brought up to speed with developments on export requirements and market access, BAF said.

Initiatives were also discussed with exporters in the interest of enhancing export compliance and facilitation of ease of doing business in the agricultural export chain, BAF said.

“Though exporters meet every requirement in the book, the ultimate decision still remains with Australia,” BAF said.

Some common non-compliance concerns may include exterior surfaces of containers having soil, debris or signs and symptoms of pest activity.