Fisheries division turned into business from service delivery

MOROBE is the first province in Papua New Guinea to convert its fisheries division from a service delivery organisation to a money-making entity and sustain its operations, provincial executive council chairman for fisheries Malcom Kalo says.
Kalo said this during the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Morobe government and the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) by Governor Ginson Saonu and Fisheries Minister Dr Lino Tom.
He said the Tutumang (provincial assembly) allowed Morobe Fisheries Management Authority (MFMA) to make money and sustain its operation while paying the surplus as a dividend to the provincial government.
Kalo said Morobe had some of the best fishermen in the country and records showed that when they were engaged in 2005 and 2007 with the European Union boats with the fishermen obtaining loans of over K1.5 million from the National Development Bank repaying the money. Kalo said they then asked Fisheries Ministry and NFA to revive the programme.
“We need the support of Ministry of Fisheries and NFA to obtain loans from NDB to revive fisheries and other projects and we can repay loans on time because we’ve already proved that.”
He said apart from coastal fisheries development, they were also looking to develop inland fisheries were the first province to develop and launch a provincial aquaculture policy in 2005.
The policy by the MFMA saw the establishment of a mini semi-permanent hatchery at Potsie outside Lae which breeds high quality fingerings to supply fish farms in the province.
Kalo said most tilapia (farmed fish) sold in the supermarkets in Lae were from local farmers using imported feed but there was a need for feed to be produced locally and they were waiting for the support from the Fisheries Ministry and NFA to go into major fish feed production to boost aquaculture in the country.