TSG bags multiple accolades at ‘NCE Awards 2018’
Sri Lanka’s pioneering sustainable seafood farming company Taprobane Seafood Group (TSG) clinched three top honours at the ‘National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) Awards 2018’ held recently at Hotel Shangri-la, Colombo.
Marking its trailblazing presence at the grand ceremony, TSG claimed the coveted Fisheries Sector Extra Large Category Award and two other Special Awards in recognition of its immense contribution to sustainable development efforts in the Northern Province through the EGLR (Employment Generation and Livelihood through Reconciliation) project implemented in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), as well as for creating employment opportunities for the differently-abled in predominantly war-torn areas.
TSG initiated such employment since 2012 in partnership with the Disability Network of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) and was facilitated by ILO’S Local Empowerment through Economic Development (LEED) project back then and successfully continue to empower them.
Taprobane Seafood Group was founded in 2011 by Timothy O’ Reilly and Dilan Fernando with the shared vision of reaching the highest standards of sustainable seafood farming. Through a commitment to community empowerment, TSG has always been in the forefront of ethical labour practices in the industry and over the past few years, it has paid a great deal of attention to the working and living standards, wellbeing and sustainable development of its employees attached to eight processing facilities throughout Northern and Northwestern Provinces. In 2014, TSG clinched the Presidential Award for the Highest Foreign Exchange Earner in the seafood sector.
Interestingly, one of TSG’S largest projects is a voluntary code of conduct with the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) to become Asia’s pioneer in certified sustainably sourced Sri Lankan blue swimming crab. Another noteworthy initiative by TSG is the launching of a smartphone application jointly with the Colombo University to enable GPS and GPI tracking. This platform gurantees factual information dissemination to facilitate those involved in fisheries management.
TSG is the first Sri Lankan entity to receive the most prestigious certification for food standards (FSSC22000). The company has come to be known for producing pasteurized crab meat, frozen and fresh tuna and various other seafood products for some of the world’s most respected brands. At present, its clientele is largely based in the United States, Japan and the European Union (EU).