Teachers check out fish cannery

 TEACHERS from Lufa Secondary School in Eastern Highlands visited the International Food Corporation at Malahang in Lae to see the fish cannery.

The excursion was part of the school-based in-service programme that saw 24 teachers taking the trip to the industrial hub to see how fish is processed and canned.

Company chief executive officer Rosedean Dzulkfli thanked them and told them the importance of buying PNG made products.

“All of you, I need your help. We must all buy Besta or any PNG made product because the more you buy, it is helping our mothers and sisters working now,” Dzulkfli said.

He said the company could hire 3000 to 4000 workers but the problem lay in products coming in from China which were cheaper and “of course, we do not know what is inside”.

Dzulkfli said in 2011 they were selling 35,000 cartons of canned fish but that was reduced by 10,000 this year to 25,000 and the gap was filled by  products from China.

“So what should I do now to our people, lay them off and cut our operation capacity? Our product here is under the scrutiny of National Fisheries Authority that comes in every now and then to check our product as the factory has to complywith European Union standards. 

“Whatever the NFA do, they are the voice of EU, so 90 per cent of the total fishing product standards come from European Union and beside that we have other credentials that we comply with.

“We have to support our own products and if we don’t, nobody will support us. I halfed my 2000 workers due of China products.”