New Zealand has suspended the export of four agricultural products from Fiji.

A shipment of eggplant was rejected due to an anomaly in the operational measures taken in Fiji under the Bilateral Quarantine Agreement.

Trade Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the actions taken by New Zealand’s Primary Industries Ministry to suspend eggplant, mango, breadfruit and papaya imports are unjustified in light of Fiji’s strong commitment to biosecurity.

The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji and the Ministry of Trade are now taking urgent action to ensure that products continue to be exported freely and safely.

Sayed-Khaiyum says New Zealand authorities have raised no concerns about any specific biosecurity risks associated with the shipment in question.

He says it is highly irregular that New Zealand has opted to suspend all imports of the four commodities rather than simply rejecting any consignment over which they had concerns.

Fijian officials have requested to meet in with their counterparts in Wellington New Zealand to resolve this issue.