Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Jelta Wong has launched PNG’s first-ever seafood holding facility at the 10th Seafood Expo Asia 2022 in Singapore – on the eve of PNG celebrating 47 years as an independent nation.
‘The future looks promising already and I must congratulate the NFA for the foresight in putting together and supporting this innovative marketing arrangement. I commend the NFA for finding and creating new and greater market opportunities for our people to access and benefit from,’ he said.
‘As the government, we will build on this achievement in further strengthening trade and investment by working closely with our foreign missions and development partners, similar to what we have done here in Singapore to look at tapping the massive Chinese seafood market that PNG already has a fisheries market access agreement with.’
He commented that he is pleased to see the establishment of this facility that will receive and hold live mud crab and other seafood exports from PNG such as lobsters and prawns, including other inshore or coastal fisheries products before they are sold or distributed to buyers, retailers and end users, both in Singapore and the neighbouring South East Asian markets, including the Middle East.
He said that the timely and strategic establishment of this seafood holding and distribution facility is in line with the Marape-Rosso Government policy directive in encouraging more of our people to meaningfully participate in the fisheries sector.
‘I must commend the NFA and the participating companies, Zavath Seafoods Ltd of PNG and the Singapore partner One Solomon Pte Ltd, for coming up with this innovative marketing and distributing arrangements that have gone a step further in realising our Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape’s call to tap the lucrative South East Asian market that is right at our doorstep.’
