Fiji, the South-Pacific nation, has made significant appearances on the global apparel manufacturing landscape in the past one year with the most crucial development being China assuring technical assistance to the Fijian apparel manufacturing sector. The latest development in the Fiji apparel manufacturing sector is even bigger as the country has removed duty on woven fabrics and trims such as buttons and zips in order to help the country produce competitively priced products.
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Mark Halabe, MD, Mark One – a Fijian apparel manufacturer is certain that the removal of duty from the raw materials will give manufacturers in the country a better competitive edge. “For the local apparel industry (manufacturing for the local market only), there will be a better chance to compete from imports that attract full duty. This policy would lead to more local-based manufacturers being in a better position to export and grow the local economy,” said Halabe. The scheme however is of little significance to apparel manufacturers catering to the export market as the country already had the provision of the duty suspension scheme (DSS) and no duty or VAT was payable.
In an interview with a leading Fijian daily, Halabe further added that for Fiji, the next stage is to establish a tertiary level fashion school for developing the fashion design and manufacturing competence in the country so that the country is in a position to produce products such as women’s fashion, sports clothing and specialty clothing, which required higher levels of skill.
