Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama met the Indian Minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal on the margins of the Solar Alliance Founding Conference in New Delhi, India.

The meeting was an opportunity for the Prime Minister to hear from the Mr Goyal on the preliminary findings of the RITE team’s assessment of the railway lines in Fiji and the options available to enhance the rail network in Fiji.

Minister Goyal along with a team of experts in the Railway and Locomotive industry highlighted their initial findings and also provided options which the Prime Minister, who is also the Minister for Sugar Industry, was very pleased with.

Indian Minister of Railways & Minister of Coal Piyush Goyal with Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama. With India’s support and expertise, Fiji is paving the way for a railway network that will expand our freight capacity and give Fijians access to passenger rail travel–– a big win that will benefit both our economy and our quality of life . Photo: DEPTFO

The Railway Minister also confirmed the participation of Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) to provide a thorough survey report of the whole railway system in Fiji and to present a cost-benefit analysis to both governments.

In his response, the Prime Minister highlighted that such initiatives and support from the Government of India will provide the impetus to drive the sugar industry forward and become competitive in the global market.

Fiji expects long-term benefits to the sugar industry from the improvements of the railway tracks.

The meeting was hailed as a success and a part of the many on-going initiatives mooted by the two countries to further enhance their steadily growing Fiji-India bilateral relations.

Source: DEPTFO

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