Riya Bhagwan 
Efforts are underway to rebuild the cooperative movement in Fiji along the lines of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel says that while the sector currently contributes 10 percent to the Fijian economy, it has the potential to do much more.
He adds that through the Pacific Regional Dialogue on Cooperatives as Drivers of the Blue-Green Economy in the Pacific, Fiji can learn from countries like India and Indonesia, which have well-developed cooperatives.
“Probably you are aware that this government is trying to rejuvenate cooperatives. When the new government came in, the cooperative sector—the cooperative movement—was probably in dire need of assistance. So now we are trying to rebuild the cooperative movement to model it after the MSMEs.”
Immanuel emphasizes that while MSMEs are now well advanced and developed after continued support, the same outcome is hoped for the cooperatives.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
