New ice plant to help Morobe fishermen

 FISHERMEN in Morobe will now benefit from an ice plant to keep their catch safe for almost 10 days after being caught, thanks to National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and General Santos (GS) Marine Ltd.

An ice plant, which would produce 80 metric tonnes of ice per day, was officially opened at Voco Point in Lae, last Friday. 

The Philippines company is renting space and facilities for the plant from NFA.

NFA managing director John Kasu said the plant was first of its kind in the country to serve local fishermen, apart from bigger processing plants which have their own.    

“It’s more or less for the smaller people, our coastal fishermen,” Kasu said. 

“The whole idea is basically for the fishermen to come in, bring their fish in and sell to the market and at the same time they pick up ice from here and then they can bring back and catch more fish.”

GS Marine chairman Andrestine Tan said the ice making facility had capacity to produce a minimum of 80 metric tonnes per day or 670 solid blocks of ice at 130kg per block. 

“This ice making facility will go a long way in supporting the growth of small scale fishing operators and other groups of fishing corporative in Lae city and other nearby provinces,” Tan said. 

“The key objective is to develop a fish trading or marketing in Lae City. 

“This will be established whereby GS Marine Ltd will arrange for a number of fishing groups to sell their catches to the facility and arrangements will be entered into with 

respective supermarkets, hoteliers and catering companies to source their fresh fish supplies. 

“Some potential fish traders that will engage may transport the fresh fish to any nearby provinces.”

The plant could supply either in block or crashed ice depending on buyers’ preferences and should be open for business this week.

Tan noted that price would be 50 per cent lower than existing sold in shops.