The Speciality Coffee Association CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos,

Permanent Secretary, Tourism, Salesaini Duanabuna,

ONA CEO Sasa Sestic,

ONA Coffee Fiji CEO, Maheer Prasad

My Liberica Owner, Jason Liew,

Maguta Estate Director, David Maguta,

Savage Coffees Owner, Jamison Savage,

Investment Fiji Chief Executive Officer, Kamal Chetty,

Invited Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ni sa bula vinaka,

Tonight, we gather to welcome a delegation whose presence signals a new chapter for Fiji’s agri-export story.

Mr Yannis Apostolopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of the Specialty Coffee Association; Mr Sasa Sestic, Chief Executive Officer of ONA Coffee; Mr Maheer Prasad, Chief Executive Officer of ONA Coffee Fiji; and your esteemed colleagues from around the world, your presence here in Fiji marks an important step in the development of Fiji’s coffee sector.

Your visit could not be timelier. As Global demand for specialty coffee continues to rise and outpace supply, Fiji is ready to step in and fulfil this gap.

With appropriate cultivation and processing, our coffee can meet the strict quality standards of the international market.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tomorrow the delegation will visit farms in Ra Province, meet growers who already harvest wild coffee, and inspect proposed sites for processing facilities.

These visits will enlighten and inform technical decisions on varietal selection, shade management and post-harvest handling and will also help confirm infrastructure requirements.

Government’s responsibilities are precise.

Fiji’s development strategy identifies agriculture as a pillar of inclusive growth, job creation and export diversification.

Over many years we have strengthened our sugar, kava and root-crop industries; more recently we have moved decisively into high-value horticulture.

Specialty coffee offers a logical next step. The climate zones of our highlands mirror conditions in acknowledged coffee origins; our volcanic soils are fertile; and our rural communities possess generational knowledge of land stewardship.

The question is not whether coffee can grow here—it already does—but how we move from scattered production to a disciplined, quality-driven industry that meets the requirements of discerning buyers.

Your delegation brings precisely the skills and networks needed to answer that question.

The Specialty Coffee Association sets the benchmarks that guide producers worldwide; ONA Coffee has demonstrated in other countries how ethical sourcing and rigorous quality control translate into market success.

By combining your experience with the local insight of growers, provincial leaders and extension officers, we can design a value chain that is commercially viable and socially responsible from the outset.

Government’s role is to create an enabling environment. A multi-agency working group, chaired by the Ministry for Trade and supported by Investment Fiji, has already begun the task of mapping regulatory touchpoints and ensuring that approvals are transparent and timely.

Our land-use authorities are working with customary landowners in Ra to provide secure tenure arrangements that respect tradition while giving investors certainty.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Policy frameworks alone will not secure success. What will secure success are relationships—relationships of trust between growers and buyers, between communities and investors, and between Fiji and our international partners.

Mr Apostolopoulos, the Specialty Coffee Association has long championed ethical sourcing and capacity building across producing countries.

Your willingness to bring that ethos to the Pacific is deeply appreciated.

Private-sector partners have also shared market intelligence and offered equipment demonstrations. Your collective effort exemplifies the collaborative approach we intend to maintain throughout this venture.

To our guests from abroad, thank you for bringing your professional rigour and your willingness to collaborate.

We value direct feedback. Successful partnerships are built on mutual accountability, and we stand ready to adjust where improvement is warranted.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let us keep sight of the shared objective that has brought us together tonight: to establish a specialty-coffee industry that meets international quality standards, strengthens Fiji’s rural economy and reinforces our reputation as a reliable trading partner.

Here’s to productive cooperation, to disciplined execution and to the future of Fijian coffee.

Thank you for turning ambition into action.

Vinaka vakalevu, and enjoy the evening.