Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is calling on established business communities to join the government to help smaller businesses grow.

This comes after the first 456 micro and small business operators received a $1000 SME grant from government last week.

Bainimarama says 7500 people throughout Fiji have qualified for the assistance under this programme.

He adds many forget that some of the largest businesses in Fiji like FMF, RC Manubhai, Punja’s or Pure Fiji were once small or micro businesses themselves.

It was through hard work, identifying opportunities and taking risks these enterprises eventually grew.

Bainimarama says the established business community can have a big role in the development of small and micro businesses.

‘’To the wider business community can I say: Your contribution can be in the form of taking people in and teaching them skills, providing business advice and, where possible, buying Fijian-made or Fijian-grown. You may also consider making smaller businesses part of your own operations. As our economy grows even further – and I think it is only a matter of time before we hit an annual growth rate of 5 per cent – there are plenty of opportunities for smaller companies to piggy-back off the success of larger enterprises. Large businesses and small businesses can help each other’’.

The Prime Minister has also acknowledged the work already done by some medium to large enterprise in helping micro and small farmers and businesses around Fiji.

Bainimarama adds everyone must work together to encourage an even greater partnership between big business and small business.

This will in turn extend the current opportunities for ordinary Fijians to participate in the national economy.