University opens food testing centre

The National National

By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
THE National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in partnership with the University of Technology opened a National Food Testing and Monitoring Centre at the Unitech Taraka Campus yesterday.
The centre was opened by NFA managing director John Kasu. The university’s Acting Vice-Chancellor, Dr Ora Renagi, and acting Morobe administrator Sheila Harou were at the opening.
Kasu said the centre was expected to work with the fisheries industry to test, provide verification of fish and fish products while also serving as an avenue for study, training and research in the region.
He said that NFA and Unitech signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2014 to:

  • Upgrade the facilities of the Applied Science Department and provide a better learning environment;
  • Build and provide an accredited laboratory equipped with the best technologies and practices;
  • Provide an avenue for the testing of fish and fisheries products, and serve as another testing facility for the fishing industry due to its strategic location closer to where most of the fishery industries were; and
  • Provide a top facility for learning and research and capacity-building in an effort to equip students with the knowledge necessary to meet the demand of the fisheries sector or a similar field.

“With these objectives, NFA provided K3.6 million over three/four years, replenishing it this year with another K1 million to establishing the testing facility, purchasing equipment, upgrading some components of the department and providing training and attachments,” Kasu said.
He said NFA basically wanted to establish a facility where fish and fishery products would be tested.
“When entering the European Market, they have market requirements, there are minimum standards that must be met,” he said.
“If we don’t meet the standards, the product does not enter the market.
“The European market takes up to 90 per cent of our fish products, especially tuna.
“So it is important that we have a facility here basically for us to test our fishery products before they go out to the market.