Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia, an agency of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, has launched its 2021 Annual Report.
Despite the harsh climate, the report highlighted more than A$27 million in export sales and 17 investment deals brokered in the area.
In the aftermath of COVID-19, PTI Australia continues to engage with businesses in Papua New Guinea, promoting trade, tourism, and investment prospects. PTI Australia assisted 187 enterprises and enabled A$4,111,240 in exports through its services.
Caleb Jarvis, PTI Australia's Trade and Investment Commissioner, spoke on the pandemic's ongoing impact on the Pacific and the organisation's efforts to help the private sector during and after the crisis.
“Across the Blue Pacific, many nations felt the devastating health impacts of the pandemic for the first time in 2021, demonstrating incredible resilience in their response to the crisis. Despite an arduous environment of severe trade and investment constraints, we supported 975 businesses across 16 Pacific nations during this period,” said Mr Jarvis.
“In PNG, we connected a number of PNG-based businesses to potential buyers and distributors in Australia, including a bilum exporter to an Australia-based buyer, a vanilla extract exporter to a Melbourne-based importer, and a coffee bean exporter to an Australian-based buyer.
“In addition to these services, we continued to support manufacturers, sponsor partners events, and run multiple high-value digital workshops.”
He credited his team's flexibility, ingenuity, and collaboration with PTI partners for achieving these accomplishments.
“I am proud of the flexibility and determination demonstrated by the PTI Australia team, who continued to approach the year dynamically, remaining immeasurably adaptable as many of our trade and investment. Tourism and labour mobility programs shifted between physical, virtual and hybrid formats as Australia and the Blue Pacific moved in and out of various lockdowns,” said Mr Javis.
These accomplishments could not have been accomplished without the help of the worldwide PTI Network and partners, and they highlight the critical role they play in expanding our reach and effectiveness throughout the Pacific.
“Collaborating with our global PTI network and 27 partners allowed us to deliver $27.14 million in exports and $14.66 million in investments.
Jarvis said that investing in and speeding regional digital development and capacity building has also played a key role in the agency's operations.
“2021 saw us continue to invest in regional digital development to support businesses across the Blue Pacific to navigate the new conditions brought about by the pandemic.
“Throughout the year, we delivered 38 online workshops to help Pacific businesses participate more in the digital economy, launched our PTI Australia x Canva Digital Design Program, a first in the region, and refined our e-Commerce connector series.”
“Understanding the realities for the Pacific’s private sector has also been essential during this period, and through the PTI Network’s regular PTI Pacific Business Monitor survey series, we have been able to ensure nations, agencies and partners were kept informed with data, while also utilising these same insights to inform the design of much of our work.”
Jarvis reaffirmed the agency's commitment to assisting Pacific enterprises and the communities that rely on them in the future.
“We remain committed to working with our partners to chart a path to economic recovery, creating tangible outcomes for the businesses and people of the Blue Pacific, as we continually pursue the Pacific Islands Forum’s vision of a bright and prosperous future for all Pacific peoples.”
Reference: Loop (26 April 2022). “PTI launches 2021 Annual Report”.
