A decade-long partnership between the Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development (FRIEND) and Motibhai Group of Companies is helping rural Fijian producers turn locally made products into commercially viable businesses, Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said.
Speaking at the partnership’s 10th anniversary celebration in Walu Bay, Kamikamica said the initiative demonstrated the importance of connecting rural producers with established commercial networks.
FRIEND has developed relationships with rural producers, while Motibhai has provided distribution, retail access and commercial expertise to help locally made products reach wider markets, he said.
“Behind every carton of product that leaves this building for a supermarket shelf, there is a family,” Kamikamica said. “That is the real economics of rural Fiji.”
The partnership now supports 31 distinct, 100% Fijian-made products, including chutneys, pickles, herbal teas, gluten-free flours, dried fruits, spices and desiccated coconut. The products are supplied to retail, hospitality and wholesale markets.
FRIEND Acting Chief Executive Officer Viloki Gohil said the organisation began 25 years ago by supporting communities affected by the economic and social disruption following Fiji’s 2000 upheaval.
The organisation helped communities turn existing skills and locally available resources into livelihood opportunities. Women with experience making preserves, for example, were supported to develop products for commercial sale.
Gohil said FRIEND initially had to develop its own understanding of the practical requirements for getting community-made products into formal markets, including barcodes, packaging, quality control, distribution and shelf management.
“For about 10 years, our team sold in markets, cleaned the shelves, distributed the jars and showcased these products at expos and fairs within Fiji and abroad,” Gohil said.
She said Motibhai’s involvement a decade ago helped address a major challenge by providing access to logistics, retail outlets and broader market opportunities.
Kamikamica said the partnership reflected the Fiji government’s efforts to help micro, small and medium enterprises and cooperatives transition from informal activity to sustainable and competitive businesses.
“This is not a charity model. It is a commercially sound, mutually beneficial partnership that happens to also elevate rural communities,” he said.
Gohil said FRIEND was entering a new phase focused on market expansion, scalable growth and food innovation.
The government will continue supporting rural producers through cooperative development, MSME programmes and improved access to finance, certification and market linkages, Kamikamica said.
He congratulated FRIEND and Motibhai on the partnership’s 10th anniversary and acknowledged the farmers, rural women’s groups and community producers whose work remains central to the initiative.
