LILO WANTS MAXIMUM BENEFITS FROM TUNA RESOURCES FOR REGION By Philip Lilomo PRIME MINISTER Gordon Darcy Lilo believes the 4th Pacific Tuna Forum currently underway in Honiara plays an important role in ensuring that Pacific island nations as resource owners will maximize economic benefits from its tuna resources. In his opening address yesterday, PM Lilo said whilst the Pacific have risen above odds to control and manage our fisheries well, it is the development of our fisheries to give us the desired outcome of maximizing the economic returns from our tuna resources has a lot to be desired from. With the theme, “Broadening the Tuna Investment base in the region”, the two-day forum concludes today bringing to the country from the region and beyond, government officials, industry players, traders, processors, and representatives of major tuna markets in Asia, Europe and the United States. Mr Lilo said although our regional fishery has contributed more than 30% of the world tuna supply, the total return to the region is only about 100 million US dollars from a global business that worth about two billion US dollars. “This is a mere 5% of the value of our catch. This is very unfortunate, especially when the desire of the region is to assert greater control of, and to secure greater rights to the region’s common tuna fishery, and to maximize economic opportunities from the development of its tuna resources. “This for me is the greatest challenge facing the region, and one you must think strategically and innovatively, without fear, to address in this Forum,” the Prime Minister told those participating at the forum, hosted at the FFA conference centre. Mr Lilo sees this Forum facilitating strategic and innovative thinking, providing a useful platform in establishing a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the tuna fisheries and the tuna industry. “I see this Forum providing an arena for dialogue between you all, the resource owners, fishers, industry players, processers, traders and those in the markets. “It is my hope that the Forum being held here in Honiara will provide the unique perspective to these discussions, capturing the investment opportunities that are before us and in doing so, staying true to the our theme Broadening the Tuna Investment base in the region,” he said. Mr Lilo said true partnership must exist between fisheries managers and industry players. “For so long, we have aspired to achieve our golden dream of getting a return on our harvested tuna resources, something equitable to the catch taken out of our waters. Yet the realities contrasted markedly. “We must believe in ourselves that in order for us to maximize economic benefits, in order for us to increase the rate of return from 5% to unprecedented levels, we must actively develop our national tuna industry and tailor investment opportunities to our local situations,” he said. The Focus of discussion during the Forum covers many areas including global and regional overview of the tuna fisheries and industry, investment opportunities, trade and markets, and sustainability, eco-labelling and technological development. More than 200 industry representatives and stakeholders are attending the meeting at the Forum Fisheries Agency convention centre in Honiara for the two-day meeting.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 01:49:48 +0000
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