Waste, raw materials, utilities main concerns for proposed Zone 14 fish processing development |05 September 2022

Minister Ferrari addressing the meeting (Photos: Louis Toussaint)

Despite low public turnout, stakeholders and prospective investors on Saturday expressed their concerns regarding the proposed Fish Processing, Zone 14, Ile du Port development, relating mainly to wastewater treatment, supply of raw materials and necessary utilities for project investors.

Financed by the Third South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared Growth Project (SWIOFish3), public consultation is part and parcel of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as legally required by Section 45 of the Environment Protection Act (2016).

Local consultant Ian Charlette is undertaking the IEA.

The development, being spearheaded by the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), is regarded as a game-changer for the fishing industry, providing the private sector and investors with the necessary infrastructure to encourage investments in value-added fish processing, rather than bulk-exporting to other destinations, while also developing a modern local industrial fishing industry.

Approximately 70,000 square metres of reclaimed vacant land within Zone 14 has been designated for the project.

Seven investors qualified at the tender launched in February, with six, five among whom are Seychellois, agreeing to move forward with their plans.

Government has committed to financing a substantial part of the development, with the SFA as promoter contributing an estimated R15 million for the construction of appropriate road access, electricity substation, and the construction of a common waste water-treatment plant.

Chief executive of the SFA, Nichol Elizabeth, in response to concerns over the hygiene and stench from waste water discharge clarified that all facilities in the area are to ensure they have a primary waste water treatment, and to go further and have second treatment options, to ensure that it is of surface discharge quality.

“The waste water-treatment plant is very important in this EIA, and the development of this entire project, so we need to make a big effort to get it right. We are forecasting around US $5 million or more for this part of the project alone,” Mr Elizabeth stated.

Aside from encouraging economic growth, and the creation of more opportunities for the private sector to partake in the industrial fishing sector, the socio-economic benefits are expected to be multi-fold.

Attracting foreign direct investment, and increasing the importance of Port Victoria are but some of the expected outcomes.

Additionally, an estimated 612 new jobs will be created through, from R646 million in capital investment, based off the qualifying business plans.

Each investor is to be allocated a plot under a 60-year lease with a rental fee of R80 per square metre, based on their business requirements. The largest plot, 15,000 square metres, is to be allocated to an established international business organisation that operates globally. Rather than canning, they have expressed interest in loining and frozen products.

Qualifying investors are to engage in a variety of activities and products, including frozen tuna, value-addition, loining, by-catch to fully optimise by-catch in Seychelles, pet food, fish bait.

Even with quotas on yellow fin imposed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), and much of the processing centred on yellow fin, and on a lesser scale skipjack and big-eye tuna, government is also striving to ensure the supply of raw materials for the facilities.

At present, 46 vessels supply tuna to the Seychelles and around 350,000 tonnes of tuna lands in Seychelles annually.

“I would like to reassure that government believes that there is capacity to handle a lot more tuna in the industrial sector. Around 70,000 to 75,000 tonnes are processed locally of 350,000 tonnes, so there is space, and that there will not be any adverse effects on smaller operators already in the business, and who want to grow in the sector. There is space to grow, but we believe that pushing for a new fish processing zone will give new impetus and energy to the local players,” Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-François Ferrari, stated. 

Other attendees pointed out that the existing road and drainage facilities within Zone 14 are not up to standard, and need to be upgraded ahead of the development.

The project is to also feature a container yard and a port repair area.

SFA had thus far paid the Islands Development Company (IDC) R242,000 to prepare the land for subdivision.

“Government is looking at building modern and efficient facilities to support the private sector, and we feel that if we do not do it, we will be at the losing end of the commercial activities of the world, where investors need to be accompanied and their operations are competitive and efficient,” Minister Ferrari added.

Also on the panel were representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment Frank Moumou, acting head of Product Development and Quality Assurance at SFA Margaret Ally, and principal secretary for Infrastructure Jitesh Shah.

Laura Pillay