An Investigation into Availability and Quality of Advisory Services for Agribusinesses in Fiji

MDF has worked closely with agribusinesses in Fiji since its inception in 2013, and has observed that they often struggle with the lack of available advisory services to support them to identify export markets, meet their stringent requirements and export their products. However, this evidence was largely anecdotal. Accordingly, MDF undertook a more empirical study into the availability and quality of advisory services for agribusinesses in Fiji.

Methodology

We designed an online survey comprising qualitative and quantitative questions to gather data about Fijibased agriculture businesses who may have used technical advisory services. These questions aimed to assess the supply and demand of these services and their experiences in using them. The survey was undertaken online through MS Forms and was sent to 78 agribusinesses who were either known to MDF or/and on the list of Investment Fiji’s agriculture exporters. We received 17 responses, of which 16 were valid and analysed.

Results

Of the sixteen agribusiness respondents, only seven had used any kind of advisory services in the last five years. The most common services used were to support product development, market access requirements, value chain analysis and organic certification. The quality of these services was assessed as “ok” on average, but advice on market access requirements was “bad”, and organic certification and facility design and layout were “good”. The majority of respondents were either considering or maybe considering using advisory services in the next year. The main services sought were for product marketing, and product development and manufacturing. Respondents considered a range of factors when sourcing advisory services; chief among them were expertise and experience (especially in Fiji), turnaround time, certification and ratings. The majority of respondents felt that access to, and quality of, advisory services was a constraint to various aspects of their business to some extent; especially to their exports and access to markets. Respondents also mentioned that the high cost and low quality of advisory services are also key constraints.