SPECIAL EDITION OF THE PACIFIC EXPORT CONTEXT ANALYSIS (PECA) – NOVEMBER 2020

PHAMA Plus has prepared a revised, special edition of the Pacific Export Context Analysis (PECA) report, to reflect the major disruptions being experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PECA is prepared annually to provide a strategic summary of country progress, on-going constraints and opportunities for export market opportunities, particularly in relation to the horticulture, agriculture, fisheries, forestry and tourism sectors. The first version of the PECA was prepared in 2019 and the second in June 2020. The October 2020 special edition incorporates new information on the impact of the pandemic in the Pacific countries, and proposes responses aligned with DFAT’s ‘Partnerships for Recovery’ strategy and the PHAMA Plus end of project outcomes. The revised PECA notes that the direct human health impact of the pandemic in the Pacific has been amongst the lowest in the world, with a case rate of only 57 per million, compared to over 1,000 in Australia and around 5,000 globally. Only Fiji, PNG and Solomon Islands have reported cases, with some 94% of these being in PNG. This has been achieved through timely and robust response measures, including border closures; internal movement restrictions; cessation or restriction of aircraft and ship movements; and lockdowns and closures; some of which have subsequently been eased.