Training Workshops on Value Adding of Marine Products
‘Pilot Project on Value Adding of Marine Products’
The project on value adding of marine products, designed as a pilot for Fiji, consisted of two phases. Phase one involved the development of 14 product profiles, such as Pelagic Fish Minced Products, Sea Plants Flavoured Snack Foods, Pelagic Fish Ready to Eat Tourine and Sea Plants for Livestock Feed. This phase identified some marine products and methods of value adding which, it is hoped, will be used to set up successful business enterprises. The project profiles were developed by taking into consideration environmental concerns and the sustainability of marine resources.
This was a joint project of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, University of the South Pacific Institute of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Fisheries and Forests, and NCSMED. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat provided funding for phase one, from the Canadian Government.
Phase two of this project which involves the implementation and commercialisation of these profiles into small and micro businesses was handed over to NCSMED by the Forum Secretariat in 2005. This phase is particularly important and requires the dedication and commitment of the private sector, to take up these project profiles and transform them into income generating projects. The lessons learnt from the Fiji exercise will be the basis for the development of models which might be replicated in other Forum Island Countries.
Since the handing over of the 14 product profiles to NCSMED in 2005, two training workshops in value adding of marine products have been conducted via collaborations with Department of Fisheries and USP for a total of 33 men and women as a pilot group in 2005 and 2006. The processed products ranged from fish fingers, to fish pastes to fish fillets and precooked kai. The beneficiaries of these workshops were rural and coastal men and women already handling marine products, committed and dedicated men and women willing to learn and have a desire to improve their family’s standard of living, tilapia growers, men and women involved in village level production of captured reef species, men and women interested in pursuing small scale commercial ventures and men and women who are hardworking and have a desire to venture into small scale hospitality, retail and niche markets. The outreach of such trainings is anticipated for rural areas and outer islands and establishment of linkages and marketing channels via networking and collaborations with institutions.
The conduct of these workshops aimed to:
i.) to expand trainee entrepreneurs knowledge of value-adding processes and safety of marine products;
ii.) to broaden trainee entrepreneurs understanding of value adding processes, as a means of import replacement and preventing wastage of valuable resources;
iii.) to broaden the trainee entrepreneurs knowledge of linkages to international and regional markets and local industries such as tourism and hospitality;
iv.) to promote value adding of marine products as a means of an income generating activity and creation of livelihoods for rural and coastal communities; and
v.) to improve subsistence level and nutritional dietary intake.
The customer assessment of the value added marine products developed at the end of both workshops were positive as customers reacted by saying that this was a very good initiative as they were impressed by the quality and taste of the products which showed the high standard of processing and handling of these products. Customers also stated that they just loved the fact that these high quality products were locally made and packaged and that they would continue to buy such products in the future.
Such positive comments and demand received from the customers who purposed the value added marine products developed from these pilot workshops shows yet another new business opportunity that has emerged for men and women to venture into and start up SMEs in this sector.
(Please see picture gallery for project pictures)