DSFI to take over Batam fish plant

JAKARTA (JP): PT Dharma Samudera Fishing Industries, Tbk (DSFI), a seafood processing company, expects to conclude its plan to take over a fish processing plant on Batam island next month as part of its expansion program.

The company's spokesman Eddy Karmin said here on Thursday that almost all aspects related to the purchase of the plant had been agreed upon.

"But the formal agreement will be signed in February," he told The Jakarta Post.

Eddy said that the company was also constructing a new processing plant in Bali and that the new plant was expected to start operations in June.

The two plants would have a combined production capacity of 6,000 tons. "With the two plants, total production capacity will increase to 32,000 tons.

To date, DSFI's production capacity has been 26,100 tons a year, generated by 3 major factories respectively located in Kendari with 12,000 tons, Jakarta 10,500 tons and Kupang 3,600 tons.

Last year, the company started renovating their plant in Medan, North Sumatra, and established new buying posts in Bangka and Belitung. The Medan plant is to resume operations next year.

Eddy said that the company needed to expand their production capacity to meet a growing overseas demand especially from the United States.

The company, which floated its shares on the Jakarta Stock Exchange in March last year, produces seafood products such as frozen fish fillets, stuffed crab claws, and cooked lobsters.

The products are exported mainly to the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia.

DSFI is projected to increase total sales to Rp 284.9 billion this year from about Rp 238.8 billion last year.(05)