The Export Unit

During the last two decades, New Caledonia went through a prosperous period characterized by strong economic growth, which contributed to improving the population’s standards of living.  This GDP growth largely relied on the importation of goods and services, which meant that New Caledonia’s commercial balance suffered from a 160 billion XPF deficit.  

For the last ten years, thanks to the volume of ferronickel exportations and the Investments made as part of the building of the two new nickel plants in the country as well as the off-shore unit in South Korea, nickel has been one of the main drivers of New Caledonia’s economic growth.

However, after this period of strong economic growth, New Caledonia is facing a predictable slow down, following the end of building works coinciding with a crisis in nickel prices.

Therefore, New Caledonia must diversify its economy to create new sources of growth. Consequently, the Government has decided to grow the local market through the development of exportations.   

From this perspective, the Government, via the SCRRE, put an export unit, dedicated to the implementations of actions of economic diplomacy and specifically focused on export, in place.

The Export Unit also coordinates public policies regarding export and provides a link between institutions.  It promotes New Caledonia as an economic destination for partnerships/ investments, as well as the country’s export policy.  It monitors the implementation of the Export Support Plan (OSE), manages and coordinates-through the Export Support Council-the relations between the various stakeholders involved, notably those coming from the private sector.  

If the overwhelming majority of exportations are currently linked to mining (more than 90 %), New Caledonia has numerous assets enabling the development of other sectors. It benefits from quality infrastructures and a preserved animal health status. It can rely on research institutions and a pool of companies with real know-how and strong added value.  Finally, a lot of entrepreneurs are determined to focus on external markets.