Tahiti pearl Consortium

[Cyril Roger Brossard]

La Maison de la Perle prevented from signing with Cavalieri

Papeete Administrative Court canceled the procurement procedure for the agreement to provide services relating to the implementation of the "Tahiti Pearl Consortium" holding that the House of the pearl was " unfit to support this agreement that is a private contract "despite its status as a public industrial and commercial establishment (EPIC). In sum, to pass this agreement, the House of the pearl must comply with all obligations relating to public procurement: tender, publication, and competition. Traders' union pearls of Tahiti and Tahiti Pearl Auction, opposed the creation of the Tahiti Pearl Consortium, seized the Administrative Tribunal on Tuesday morning, December 4, to pre-contractual remedies as referred to denounce the convention was about to sign the same day La Maison de la Perle to benefit from the expertise of Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri in the context of the implementation of the central purchasing mixed capital.


Elected officials spoke about the project during the budget vote
This ruling comes as a real surprise Fcfp 500 million have been budgeted in 2013 from French Polynesia to finance the creation of the Tahiti Pearl Consortium and the payment of counsel fees of the Italian international consultant. The opposition by an amendment proposed by Maina Sage, Ren? Temeharo and Sandra Levy-Agami proposed during the debate Tuesday night to reallocate this amount 500 million Fcfp to other projects. The government has issued an unfavorable opinion and the amendment was ultimately rejected.
Anthology of short interventions on the TPC during the debate on the budget.
Temaru : " What we are doing is neat and clean. Do not believe everything which is written in the newspapers "

Armelle Merceron : " With the TPC we will ask the House of Pearl that pays for itself in the best 5% to become the parent of a foreign company. I was under the impression that the we set up a gas plant. Never this kind of installation would work and it would eventually be more expensive "

Maina Sage : " The problem also is that this project has continued to change shape. Initially, one month ago, we were told it would be a public institution, a SEM, and after that it became a SAS. It changes every week! We must understand the concern of pearl farmers and opposition. Why not do those things quietly, listening to each other? Also the title of this program authorization has changed a month ago it was not expected that this package passes through the House of Pearl "

Sandra Levy-Agami:" What is the exact structure of the TPC. EPIC Maison de la Perle will have shares in a limited company to be called PWC. Is it a choice made? "

Edouard Fritch : "What has changed regarding pearls with this Italian? He comes from the land of Don Corleone, I do not trust these people! In addition, we would had to pay him for him to give us lessons…"


Note: readers posted their opinion, some more objective than others, one used the Acronym TPC and wrote "Tahiti Pas Cher" this could be translated as "Tahiti Prices Castrated" although this is not an exact translation, it is better than what Google offers so far...

 

[Josh]

I agree Caitlin, it is quite the dramatic saga. Maina Sage is an intelligent, well-intentioned person so when I hear her say that the project isn't part of a broader strategy and changes from week to week, I can't help but think that it is doomed from the start.

Caitlin, as for the farmers getting together to form their own group, the single most deterrent issue IMHO is the geographical spread of Polynesia. It's no wonder there were so few farmers on hand to say ye or nay. If you are a farmer, you are usually farming and doing anything but farming can be prohibitively expensive (like traveling hundreds of ocean miles to Tahiti to attend meetings). I absolutely agree with you though, it would seem that the decisions should be made by the farmers, not politicians and not pearl traders.

 

[Caitlin]

What about the internet? Or smart phones, so travel would not be necessary except on one's own island. A few strategic internet connections could lead to having a much stronger say, plus generate publicity for their cause?

I am probably a hopeless idealist, but it does seem that it is time for the exploiters to pay farmers living wages- like the coffee plants workers managed to get when they united. Fair trade coffee. Did that die out?

 

[Cyril Roger Brossard]

The 5th auction organized by the GIE Poe Rikitea O and 4 of its associated GIE held all its promises.
It ended Tuesday afternoon on a positive note for the producers.
278 743 pearls, made in 327 lots found buyers for a total of 313 million Fcfp (US$3,470,756.84).
The average price of pearls sold is 1124 XPF (US$12.46). An average price for the most beautiful piece, a 18mm pearl made by a producer Arotua, reached the sum of 775 000Fcfp (US$8,593.61).
Last of this year, the international auction is also a snub to the Tahiti Pearl Consortium project lately presented by the government.
The organizers insist, they do very well alone. This sale financed on a clean background is the proof. It will bring nearly 14 million to the country via the export tax.