Fiji recorded a trade surplus of $62.7 million with the United States last year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica revealed in Parliament on 28 April 2025.
Kamikamica said the total value of Fiji’s exports to the US stood at $439.08 million, while imports from the US amounted to $425.03 million. The United States retained its position as Fiji’s number one export destination, accounting for around 20 per cent of all goods exported.
“Some of Fiji’s major exports to the US include bottled water, kava, fresh turmeric, cane sugar, seafood, fish, high-quality mahogany, and smaller quantities of agricultural products such as taro, ginger, and various fast-moving consumer goods,” Kamikamica said.
“These products are highly regarded in the US market, reflecting the diverse nature of what Fiji has to offer.”
He emphasised that Fiji’s exports do not compete with American goods but rather complement them. “Rather than facing direct competition, Fiji goods fill a niche in the US market, offering American consumers a broader range of high-quality options,” he said.
However, the trading relationship is not without challenges. In an earlier analysis published in The Australia Today, economists Stephen Howes, Terence Wood, and Rubayat Chowdhury noted that Fiji remains one of the few Pacific nations significantly impacted by US tariffs introduced during the Trump administration. They observed that while most Pacific nations saw limited effects due to their smaller trade volumes, Fiji’s situation was different.
According to the OEC database, in 2023 Fiji exported USD366 million worth of goods to the US — about 8 per cent of its GDP — with bottled Fiji Water making up 66 per cent and tuna 14 per cent of those exports. In contrast, US exports to Fiji were valued at only USD158 million. This imbalance triggered a high Trump-era tariff of 32 per cent on Fijian goods.
“Fiji, with its 32% tariff, will definitely be the hardest hit,” Howes, Wood, and Chowdhury wrote.
“Fiji Water, being a premium and highly profitable product, may be able to absorb some of the tariff increase, but fish producers and kava exporters are likely to suffer.”
Dr Satyendra Prasad, writing in The Australia Today, warned that while it is too early to measure the specific impacts of global tariff disruptions on Pacific economies, there is little time to waste. He urged the Pacific Islands Forum to urgently convene regional leaders to chart a new collective trade strategy, noting that the world is becoming “more uncertain and less empathetic” to the unique challenges faced by Pacific nations.
As Fiji navigates these complex trade dynamics, Kamikamica’s upbeat assessment highlights the country’s continuing strength in diversifying its export base and finding opportunities even amid global economic uncertainty.
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