$134.48M received from remittances

$134.48 million was received by the country from remittances up to May this year.

Reserve Bank of Fiji Governor Barry Whiteside said this is an increase of 19.4 percent from the same period last year.

Remittances for 2012 totaled $305.8 million.

Whiteside said the major sources of remittances for Fiji are gifts and maintenance worth $101 million most likely from family abroad, immigrant transfers worth $0.64 million and personal receipts of $32.84 million.

He said the major source countries for our remittances are those with significant Fijian diaspora population which includes Australia, United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Whiteside said the Middle East has also been a strong source of funds from our security and peacekeeping forces and in recent times many Fijians have been employed in such places as Papua New Guinea.  

He also said a number of professional rugby players in Europe, Australia, NZ and Japan remit part of their earnings back to Fiji.

Whiteside said in relation to the Fiji Military troops leaving for peacekeeping duties in Golan Heights, the Reserve Bank of Fiji does not have the exact amount as the contract agreement is confidential between the Fijian Government and the United Nations.

However, Whiteside said the RBF believes that with a large contingent of military personnel, the total amount would be sizeable.


Story by: Sofaia Koroitanoa