NFA, Jica implement key projects

The National Fisheries Authority and Japanese funding agency Jica have been implementing a number of projects to support coastal fisheries in the country, Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Mao Zeming says.
He said this at the opening ceremony of the K26 million Madang Market and jetty last week.
The project was funded by the Japanese overseas development assistance grant with counterpart funding from the fisheries authority (NFA) last year. Zeming said the specific focus on the project “wealth creation, poverty alleviation and food security”, since the re-signing of a bilateral fishing access agreement in 2006 between the two countries.
The development component of the agreement paves the way for Japan, through Jica, to fund medium to large scale fisheries projects such as fish markets, wharfs and jetties, ice-making facilities and other fisheries-related infrastructures in the country. “Since the conclusion of the new bilateral fishing access arrangement in 2006 with NFA, for fishing access of Japanese fishing fleets to fish in PNG’s economic zone,  fisheries cooperation between the two countries have grown from strength to strength,” Zeming said.
“During the absence of the bilateral fishing access agreement, PNG was unable to have access to   development opportunities.”
in terms of Japan’s official development assistance in the fisheries sector.
“The current bilateral fishing arrangement and relationship is characterised by mutual cooperation that aims to generate economic development for both countries.
“This fishing access arrangement has further strengthened the two countries’ existing strong bilateral relationship, which also further increases and strengthens PNG fisheries sector’s opportunity to have access to various Japan’s development assistance.
“The concept of “town markets and jetties programme under which the Madang Town Market Project is designed, is to provide an integrated approach – that is building a town market with its essential components such as fish market and jetty facilities providing access between fish trading and overall vegetable marketing in a one-stop shop approach. The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to sustainable coastal fisheries development and management in PNG and to enhance bilateral relationship between Japan and PNG, especially in the field of fisheries.”