Ting Seen to set up fish processing plant

Ting Seen to set up fish processing plant

JAKARTA (JP): PT Ting Seen Banda Sejahtera will establish canned fish and fish meal plants in Tual, in the southeastern part of Maluku province, with an investment of US$200 million.

"The construction of the plants will start this month. The company has already acquired 131 hectares of land at a cost of Rp 2.6 billion (US$1.1 million) for the factories," the speaker for the Malra district's legislature, A.G. Wokanubun, said in Tual over the weekend.

The canned fish and fish powder projects are scheduled to start operation in 1998 with a production capacity of 42,000 tons of canned fish, 3,000 tons of frozen squid and 8,500 tons of fish meal per annum. Most of the products will be exported.

Wokanubun noted that the two plants, which are expected to be the biggest in Southeast Asia, would not have trouble procuring raw materials because the Maluku waters are abundant with fish.

"Hopefully the plants, which will employ 2,000 workers, will become a boon to the local economy," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

According to Wokanubun, the company paid the owners of the land acquired for the plants between Rp 150 (6.4 U.S. cents) and Rp 2,000 per square meter.

"The land price is okay as it is in line with what was already set by the regent of southeastern Maluku in 1994. The land site is categorized as less productive and is located outside of town," he said. (13)