Rabi Island to get own ice plant

[Stacey King]

FIJILIVE An ice plant will be erected on the island of Rabi and should be ready by next year. Ministry of Fisheries and Forests permanent secretary Inoke Wainiqolo told FijiLive the new ice plant in Rabi is to assist fishermen maintain the freshness of their fish before selling it to the market. Wainiqolo said other maritime islands that have ice plants include Kadavu, Vanua Balavu, Lakeba and Vanua Levu. “The islands are chosen because there are fishermen there who want to go commercial with fishing rather than just using it as food for the villagers,” Wainiqolo said. “When they have surplus to sell they will need an ice plant to retain the freshness of the fish,” he said. He said this is why their memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Overseas Fisheries Cooperation Foundation of Japan (OFCF) is very important to the fisheries ministry as OFCF will help train fisheries officers repair and restore ice plants in the islands. “We have four officers being trained to carry out maintenance and repair work for our ice plants,” he said. The MOU was signed this morning by Wainiqolo and OFCF resident representative Shimba Fukuda. By Mereani Gonedua