Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica says it is “too early to be panicking” about the new tariff rate that Fiji is set to face, after United States (U.S) President Donald Trump’s trade policy was unveiled yesterday. The U.S imposed a 32 per cent ‘reciprocal tariff’ on Fijian exports. Other countries will also face higher tariffs, while the rest will be charged the baseline 10 per cent tariff. It was also reported that the U.S had calculated Fiji’s tariff on U.S imports at 63 per cent, much to the surprise of local trade officials. Mr Kamikamica told reporters yesterday that he was “perplexed” by the 63 per cent figure. ANZ’s international economist for the Pacific, Kishti Sen said the Trump administration had calculated Fiji’s tariffs on U.S goods, both monetary and non-monetary, hence the 63 per cent. This was then reciprocated with a 32 per cent tariff on all Fijian goods entering the U.S. However, Mr Sen said there was the risk that President Trump could increase tariffs if countries retaliated or made fewer concessions. Mr Kamikamica said he promised to look into the reasoning behind the tariffs announced and determine whether they could be reduced through a meeting with the U.S Ambassador to Fiji. “Thirty-two per cent is very high and no doubt will impact businesses if it remains there. I’d be lying if I said that it is not a concern. But at the same time, I think we need to, rather than panic and make up all sorts of theories, allow our Government to do what governments do, which is to sit down and talk to our partners. “The U.S is a friend of Fiji. We’ll try and see how best we can move forward. Ideally, I’m hoping that we can seek reductions in those tariffs because they’re certainly too high right now.” Feedback: jernese.macanawai@fijisun.com.fj