An area adjacent to Nananu Village, Ra, could be home to the next mineral water bottling factory if the findings are successful.

It has been eyed for survey and development work by concrete contractor Maxbuild.

Pursued by 100 per cent Fijian-owned Maxbuild, the development is in its infancy at first stage.

It follows a memorandum of agreement signed in recent weeks between the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources and Maxbuild.

Maxbuild – a company that has contact details registered in New Zealand, and a local telephone number that does not work – is diversifying its commercial interests into include the mineral water bottling space.

The company prides itself as the only local specialist in bridges, with over 20 bridges nationwide under its belt.

Maxbuild exited the local scene when its New Zealand road contractor left Fiji.

According to the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, the company owned by director, Max Kumar, was the only locally-owned business to have registered interest in developing the mineral water sector.

Significant investment in the development of the resource for commercial purposes is likely if the preliminary studies progress to detailed investigations, the ministry said.

“The memorandum of agreement is for groundwater survey, which is the first phase of groundwater resource assessment and development,” the ministry said.

“If survey results are favourable, the project may progress into detailed investigation, which includes intrusive methods such as borehole drilling.

“If feasibility study proves viable, then significant investment is made in the development of the resource for commercial purposes.

“Work is done in phases with the first phase being survey work to determine the potential of groundwater in the area.”

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