Women business group embraces new technology

The Karawambo Women’s Business Group has embraced a new technology for smoking fish that offers a more viable option for fishing communities in Papua New Guinea.
The existing traditional open-type fish smoking method has posed several challenges, such as high energy inefficiency, the release of contaminants, and being labour-intensive for women fish processors.
Lack of electricity for refrigeration or ice making, transport difficulties due to the poor road network, lack of vehicles and high transport charges, and limited marketing capacity in the rural villages are the challenges that impede the fisheries value chain.
Under these conditions, fish smoking is the promising option to extend the shelf-life of fishery product.
However, a technology known as FTT-Thiaroye, pioneered by the FAO, has proven to be a game-changer. Compared to the traditional method, FTT-Thiaroye reduces the fuelwood requirement by 50 per cent, leading to reduced health hazards, improved food safety and quality, better working conditions for women, and time-saving opportunities.
On April 13, 2023, The Support to Rural Enterprise, Investment and Trade Programme in Papua New Guinea or EU-STREIT PNG piloted the FTT-Thiaroye processing technology with the Karawambo Women’s Business Group in the Karawap fisheries community in East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. The program was attended by Yesuf Ali, the programme coordinator, STREIT staff, and delegates from the Provincial Fisheries Office in Wewak, and fishing community leaders from Angoram, Kararau, Chambri Lake, Rok Island, and Wewak.
With the new technology, the Karawambo Women’s Business Group is now poised to explore new business opportunities and serve as a Centre for disseminating the technology to other fishing communities in the region and beyond.
European Union in Papua New Guinea EU International Partnerships Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) United Nations in Papua New Guinea FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.