This week Talk Business spoke to the new Chairperson of the Fiji Audio Visual Commission, Sharon Smith Jones about her plans for the sector.

Determined to stamp her mark, Jones aims to be pro-active and is keen on injecting new perspective and direction into FAVC.  Between 2000 and 2007, the FAVC has generated $351 million in new business and has created 7,600 new jobs.  This of course is an impressive return on investment by any measure.

Behind the Headlines, Talk Business found our how a joint 4 year study by the University of the South Pacific and the University of Queensland came up with some scenarios to illustrate both sides of trade liberalisation.  Also in an effort to improve customer service within government departments, the E-Government project was officially launched.  A centralised Call Centre has been set up with the promise to revolutionise the way government services are delivered from now on.  A task that’s been spearheaded by NCS a leading Singapore I.T firm it has been in the pipeline for over year. The overall idea is to make government services more accessible with the use of technology which will not only be time saving for the customer, but also a huge savings to taxpayers as well.

Despite an asset portfolio of around 20 million dollars, Yasana holdings have put on hold two of its major projects.  One was the construction of a purpose built 8 storey building to house Fiji Television Limited and the other was at Momi Bay. With the recent change in board members, Yasana Holdings remains cautious about its future investment plans.

The decline in raw material costs has seen the price of normal flour and sharp drop.  This is a relief for household budgets with consumers spending one dollar and twenty three cents per kilogram of flour a decrease of fourteen cents.  The price of one kilogram of Sharp has also decreased by fifteen cents with the customer spending one dollar twenty three cents per kilogram.

Talk Business Industry Focus this week was on Herbert Construction who has ventured out to keep its workers on the pay roll.  We also took a sneak peek at how the country’s second private hospital is taking shape.  Formerly the Waimanu Medical Centre, it will soon be the Suva Bayview Private Hospital. The hospital will boast a fully specialised 15 bed private hospital with state of the art laboratory services.  Not only that the multi million dollar investment has already expanded up North with the opening of a new laboratory service there.

In the business sector, good news for local rice farmers after Rewa rice raised its price for paddy by one hundred and seven dollars.  The increase sees local farmers earning up to seven hundred and fifty dollars for every tonne of rice sold.  In other business, the Interim government has issued fresh advertisements calling for public submission on the state of Air Pacific and Qantas after holding meetings with board members of both the airlines.  The rise in fuel prices has begun to take is toll on domestic air carrier Air Fiji . This has forced the company to impose a 15 percent pay cut for all staff with other major cost cutting measures.

In Brain Gain, we picked the brain of the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific Professor Rajesh Chandra.  He spoke to us about the difference tertiary education can make for those coming out of high school and for those in the work force trying to get back into school.

Thanks

22 July 2008