New K80 million tuna cannery to be opened in Lae

By MALUM NALU

Majetic Seafoods’ K80 million new tuna canning facility at Malahang outside Lae is expected to be opened over the next two months and will create 2,000-3,000 jobs for local people.

When in full production, it will create 5,000-6,000 jobs altogether for local people.

People lining outside Majestic Seafoods’ cannery at Malahang outside Lae last Friday hoping to secure a job.-Nationalpic by MALUM NALU

In the first phase of the project, in which 200 metric tonnes of tuna a day will be produced, up to 3,000 people will be employ, and in the second phase, in which 380 metric tonnes of tuna a day will be produced, up to 6,000 people will be employed.

Majestic Seafoods is a company put up by three major companies composed of Frabelle Fishing Corporation of Philippinnes, operating in PNG as Frabelle (PNG) Ltd; Philippine-based Century Canning Corporation; and Thailand-based Thai Union Corporation, a subsidiary of Thai Union Frozen Products PCL (TUF).

Thai Union is the second-largest tuna canner in the world, while Century Canning is the biggest canner in the Philippines

Operations and project manager Cristito Andrade said work on the project started in September 2010 with the first phase nearing completion.

“This will be the biggest canning project in the country,” he said.

“We will be producing canned tuna and processed loins.

“The project cost around K80 million.

“The major components are the building itself for the plant.

“For the first phase of our project, we will employ 2,000-3,000 local people.

“In the second phase of the project, we will employ 5,000-6,000 local people.

“We will increase production from 200 metric tonnes a day to 380 metric tonnes a day.

“We are targeting to open the plant in the last quarter of this year, around October or November.”

Andrade said recruitment had started early so that women could be trained on how to process tuna.

“Our human resources department has started hiring local women because we want to train them before actual production starts,” he said

“Eighty per cent of the catch will come from PNG waters while 20% will come from other suppliers.

“It will be unloaded at our main port of Lae.

“From the boat, it will be transported in insulated trucks to Malahang.

“We will sell 80% of our produce overseas and 20% on the local market.

“Most will go to the European Union, while the rest will go the the USA, Middle East and Japan.”

Andrade said the benefits would be enormous for the local economy.

“It will greatly benefit the local economy,” he said.

“Firstly, the labour, in which many local people will be hired.

“Then there are the spin-off businesses which will emerge as a result of this project.”