With support from Business Assistance Fiji and BLP, Apenisa Maracava turned his aquaculture growth ambitions into reality—strengthening its business strategy, investing in key infrastructure, scaling production and improving operational efficiency.
Located just three kilometres outside Ba Town, his farm VIAQUA is a hub for blue claw freshwater prawns. But while Apenisa possessed the academic prestige of a PhD in Natural Beach Ecology, he recognised that translating a scientific breakthrough into a commercial success story required a different kind of catalyst.
The catalyst: the 2024 Pacific Agri-Innovate Competition
The turning point arrived with the 2024 Pacific Agri-Innovate Competition. This initiative, funded by the European Union through the Sustainable Transformation of Domestic Agrifood Systems Project and technically supported by the Food & Agriculture Organisation, was led by Business Assistance Fiji (BAF) in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture.
For Apenisa, the competition was more than a contest; it was an intensive business incubator.
“Joining the competition was a turning point,” Apenisa reflects. “It helped me see my farm not just as a conservation project, but as a scalable business that could redefine Fiji’s food security.”
The “aha!” moment: business acumen meets scientific precision
Moving from a 10-day virtual bootcamp to a high-stakes pitch session, Apenisa experienced a defining shift in perspective. His “aha!” moment didn’t happen in the prawn pond; it happened in the profit-and-loss statements.
Through BAF’s structured mentoring, Apenisa mastered:
- Precision pricing: Learning that small adjustments in positioning and planning could significantly elevate the value of his yield.
- Market-driven innovation: Recognizing that the hospitality industry his primary target needed value-added products. Instead of just “head-on” prawns, he pivoted to understand the peeling and processing needs of resorts, unlocking new market access.
- Financial discipline: Transitioning from scientific research to financial management, ensuring every seedling produced, contributed to long-term sustainability.
The BLP & BAF Impact: beyond the pitch
The true power of the programme was its bridge to tangible resources. The confidence and strategic clarity Apenisa gained through the Agri-Innovate programme directly facilitated his successful access to the Business Link Pacific (BLP) Small Grants Fund.
With the support of BAF and the BLP grant, VIAQUA moved from vision to infrastructure:
- Infrastructure expansion: Built a foundational nursery and a redesigned spawning room.
- Operational efficiency: Improved accessibility and spawning cycles, making the business “growth ready.”
- Capacity surge: VIAQUA now produces 4–5 tonnes of seedlings annually, with plans to scale grow-out capacity to 3 tonnes per cycle.
A blueprint for Fiji’s agripreneurs
Today, Apenisa is no longer just a scientist; he is a strategic entrepreneur. The visibility provided by the competition has positioned him as a leader in Fiji’s aquaculture sector.
Business Assistance Fiji and Business Link Pacific have proven that when you combine local expertise with the right financial and technical support, the results are transformative.
To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.