THE Chinese government has approved a K10 million funding for an ice-making cold storage facility for local fishermen in Morobe province. The money will be given to the provincial and national fishing authorities to build the facility.

Ice produced from the facility would be distributed to local fishermen to store their fish and sell at the marketplace.

Chairman of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) board Bamake Rumbam revealed the package to participants at a week-long aqua-culture training workshop at the Erap-Wain LLG yesterday.

“This is an opportunity for the coastal and inland people to tap into the fishing industry,” he said.

“NFA also provided K100,000 for the Erap-Wain area workshop, and further funding would be made available next year for similar workshops to be conducted in other parts of Morobe province,” Mr Rumbam said.

The NFA board chairman said the authority would be working closely with provincial and national stakeholders, the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations to implement the aquaculture program in the province.

The authority would also make funding available next year through DAL to set up prawn-breeding projects in Morobe villages for the people’s own consumption and to sell at the markets.