Fish supply no longer an issue
ISSUES in tuna supply are now a thing of the past for the Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO) and the company is now on better footing to supply its markets, says PAFCO chairman Mahmood Khan.
“Our major market of course is domestic — for canned tuna. We sell 85-90 per cent of our products locally which in the past there hasn’t been consistent supply but in last three years, we have actually knocked that off and we are now able to supply the domestic market,” Mr Khan said in an interview with The Fiji Times.
The Ovalau-based cannery, which does not own any fishing boat, has been challenged by supply issues given the seasonal nature of albacore tuna. Pricing has also been problematic.
Mr Khan said better planning had helped ease the situation.
“Better planning is what it was, in terms of better purchasing, raw materials … even during COVID we were able to operate.
“The directors at that time decided that it was better to continue to operate and we were actually thankful to the government of that time that they froze the movement of people between different islands so it never affected
Ovalau, so we were protected from COVID hitting Ovalau and hence our staff were consistently available and so were the products.
“So we actually managed to break some records during those two years, in terms of production. We upped our production and hence we were able to produce more cans, even the loining was greater in terms of the numbers.”
Loining is done by PAFCO for its American client Bumble Bee Foods, whose popular brands include Brunswick, Bumble Bee, Clover Leaf and Snow’s among others.
A nil-waste factory, PAFCO also produces two byproducts: fishmeal and crude oil.
“We sell our crude oil to a refinery in New Zealand who pays us a certain amount depending on what they get,” Mr Khan said.