Local fish vendors are participating in a fish processing workshop, funded by the Government of Japan in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The five-day training focuses on generating revenue from post-harvest processing of pelagic species by training community fish processors on safe food practices and value addition techniques.

The training will include prolonging product shelf life, utilizing offcuts in efforts to minimize wastage, create novel fish (tuna) products, and discussing suitable packaging and marketing initiatives.

Their goal is to reduce waste, tackle issues faced by rural communities, and sustainably continue revenue generation activities in the country.

One of the Participants of the five-day training, Talaleu Ah Kuoi is a fish vendor and owns a fishing boat with her husband, said she was elated to be participating.

“We have learnt so much about food safety and how to prepare and handle fish cleanly. We have also been taught on how to prepare fish in many different ways," said Ms. Ah Kuoi. 

"One particular way is making tuna sausages which are totally different from the usual beef and pork we get at the shop.”

Workshop participants were also able to learn special recipes designed by the program to utilise and preserve fish, especially tuna. Tuna sausages, tuna paddies and samosas are just a few of the different ways to prepare fish.

“It was really an eye opener for us on how we could make tuna sausages different from the beef and pork we get from the shop. We feel that this has been a very interesting and productive training for us.”

The Food Safety and Fisheries Value Chain consultant for the FAO Saurara Gonelevu facilitated the training.

“This was tailored for women in the most remote places where access to ice and transportation is an issue. So we can use the natural resources available to make use of them to preserve and prolong the shelf life of the food,” she said

“We try and target women but we appreciate the fact that there a men who find interest and join the training. This is providing a means where they can earn a means of earning income.”

The M.A.F. Fisheries Divisions showed commitment in delivering the program and received the gratitude of the 30 participants who signed up to the program.