Good morning, Namaste and Ni Sa Bula!

From the outset, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for your generosity and the warm reception extended to me this morning.

It gives me a great pleasure to commemorate the official handing over of a new mobile shredder to the Nadi Town Council today. 

The decision by Japan to fund this project was undertaken in recognition of the huge success achieved by Lautoka City Council in Waste Minimisation and Recycling Promotion Project undertaken by JICA since 2008. Nadi has also been part of this project, however, the old shredding machine did not contribute efficiently in the process. Today’s handing over of the new shredder coincides with JICA’s donation of a new truck to Nadi Town Council which will seriously promote green waste management around Nadi. In fact, funding of such project in collaboration with technical expertise provided by JICA experts and volunteers is a clear manifestation of Japan’s genuine commitment and its meaningful ODA policy.

The donation of this shredding machine was funded through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security (GGP) Programme. Since the inception of this programme in 1993, Japan funded 255 projects with a total value of approximately 11.3 million US dollars around Fiji Islands. Under the GGP Programme, Japan continues to provide small and flexible grants to support development projects at the grass-roots level through its GGP Programme that is specifically designed to address basic human needs, which include basic sanitary environment, education, water supply, health, vocational training and rural infrastructure. In this Japanese fiscal year, namely April 2010 to March 2011 period, Japan has identified 13 projects under its GGP scheme with a total value of approximately 1 million US dollars around Fiji Islands, and among these 13 projects, this is the first project to be handed over successfully.

The new mobile shredder parked in front of us, is similar to the one funded by JICA for Lautoka City Council, will enable efficient and economically viable management of organic waste in Nadi, and, utilise the chips either for mulching on public gardens or sold to private companies as fuel for boilers generating additional revenue at the expense of recycling green waste. The shredder will also enable the town council to spread mobile shredding services for big hotel and residential needs around Nadi.

I am confident that this project will take Nadi Town Council to greater heights with the upkeep of natural surrounding and become a model demonstration for other municipalities in Fiji and the Pacific. 

To conclude, this donation of new shredder is a symbol of the firm friendship between the people and governments of Japan and Fiji and, with these words, I officially handover this new shredder to Nadi Town Council for the benefit of the people of Nadi and nearby areas.

Thank you, Dhanyevaad, and Vinaka Vakalevu.