The presentation of certificates to the participants of the Fish Processing Business Training, organized as part of the ILICO project (Improvement of Livelihood of Coastal Communities through Sustainable Development of Blue Economy), was held at Andrea Lodges, at Union Ducray, St-Aubin, yesterday, in the presence of the Minister of Agro-industry, Food Security, the Blue Economy and Fisheries, Arvin Boolell, and the Ambassador of Japan to Mauritius, Kan Mashiro. Implemented with the support of the Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project aims to improve the livelihoods of fishermen and their families by relying on income diversification.
More than 150 fishermen have thus benefited from practical training in several areas, including fish processing, filleting, salting, drying, smoking, vacuum packaging, but also gardening, fruit cultivation and algae-based composting. The ceremony was also an opportunity to present the products from these trainings, with a fried fish tasting, as well as a presentation of equipment, including a mobile kitchen offered by the JICA. This tool should allow beneficiaries to better process and market their products, beyond the simple fishing activity.
In his speech, the Japanese ambassador welcomed cooperation which, according to him, has made it possible to move from « scientific research to concrete activities ». He stressed that participants demonstrated that fish can become a high value-added product, capable of supporting families and strengthening coastal communities.
The mobile kitchen offered by JICA
Arvin Boolell, for his part, insisted on the importance of education and continuing education. According to him, the blue economy represents a sector of the future for Mauritius, but its development cannot be done without fishermen, whom he has described as essential players. The Minister recalled that adding value to seafood is essential to create more solid, better structured microenterprises capable of meeting health and commercial standards.
Beyond the certificates, this ceremony mainly highlighted an ambition: to make artisanal fishing a lever for local, inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurship. By strengthening the skills, especially of women and families of fishermen, the ILICO project aims to put coastal communities at the heart of the Mauritian strategy for a more resilient blue economy.
source : lexpress.mu
