Sugar bosses seek better deal

www.fijilive.com Monday February 10, 2003

Fiji's Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Sugar and Land Resettlement, Isireli Tuvuki and Ambassador to the European Union, Isikeli Mataitoga are currently lobbying in Brazil for preferential access to EU markets. They are part of the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) group of Sugar Ministers representing the three geographical regions of the ACP, which are suppliers of sugar under the Sugar Protocol. The purpose of the mission is to consult the new President of Brazil, Luiz Lula da Silva, of the socio-economic implications of the European Union Sugar Challenge brought by Brazil and Australia under the Dispute Mechanism of the World Trade Organisation. Mr Mataitoga said in the context of the consultation process in connection with the EU Sugar Challenge in the WTO brought by Brazil and Australia, both countries had made assurances that their challenge was not intended to undermine the preferential access of ACP sugar exports to the EU market. Mr Mataitoga said many ACP state countries, which were likely to be affected by the WTO challenge, were either small, least developed, developing islands or landlocked countries, and single commodity exporters. "Their inherent constraints and vulnerability inhibit them from reaching competitive levels and absorbing change in the same timescale as the more developed countries like Brazil." In addition, Mr Mataitoga said most of the development and diversification in most of these ACP countries was often severely restricted by geographical isolation, small domestic market, severe agro-climatic conditions and natural disasters, and the absence of economies of scale. Mr Mataitoga attended the meeting as an ex-officio Chairman of the ACP Sugar Consultative Group. The meeting will be over two days and the lobby mission will meet with Brazil's Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Agriculture and possibly with some members of the Senate.