The Textile Clothing and Footwear Council(TCF) participated in the recent International Sourcing Expo Australia in Melbourne,through its Make it in Fiji initiative. TCF has been taking part in the Expo for the past seven years. But this year, TCF attended the Expo to maintain and strengthen its trade relations with Australia. It has a similar policy for New Zealand.

The reason is the stiff competition faced by Fiji’s garment industry from countries like China, Indonesia and Bangladesh, who are producing cheap clothing.

President Kaushik Kumar says they were there to promote the garment industry as a whole.According to him , their pricing is definitely high compared to low cost Asian manufacturers.

But their biggest advantage is proximity to Australia and New Zealand which are the main markets .Good communication is another factor. Also one of the main selling points is their ability to do small runs and quick delivery.

The industry received one hundred thousand dollars through the National Export Strategy marketing grant and Kumar says this has helped them to participate at the Expo.

The TCF Industry was joined by the Fiji Consulate General based in Sydney who displayed Fijian-made products at the expo.