Residents in Lae city, Morobe Province, will now have a daily supply of fresh fish following the opening of a new fish market.
At a cost of K1.5 million, the fish market is a proper facility for artisanal fishermen to also sell their daily catch.
The crowded Lae Main Market on Friday had the bottom part of it reserved for the official opening of the new fish market.
The new market is located right at the end corner of the main market.
Fisheries Minister and Member for Kabwum, Patrick Basa, cut the ribbon to open the doors of the fish market.
The fish market comes with an ice maker, a blast chiller and a storage container.
The facility was funded by the National Fisheries Authority and the Overseas Fisheries Cooperation Foundation of Government of Japan.
Managing director of NFA, John Kasu, said these are basically those companies that we give access to fish in our waters.
As one of those partnerships NFA has, they embarked on building smaller markets.
Basa said this is a good opportunity for small-scale fishermen and fish farmers to increase their income.
The fish market will be managed by the Provincial Fisheries Authority and will purchase fish from corporative societies and resell at the market.
This will allow the fishermen to just sell their fish and return home without spending days at the market.
About 200 to 300 kilos of fish is expected to pass through the small facility on a weekly basis.
The fish market will start selling fish once all arrangements with the first few corporative societies have been finalised.
