Copra farmers have been provided an $80,000 project for hygiene and safekeeping of crops delivered at the mill in Savusavu.
Commissioned by the President – Ratu Wiliame Katonivere – the project, which sits at Coconut Millers Fiji Ltd premises, has been described as a result of recognising the importance of farmers.
“The commissioning of the concrete slab for coconut storage area marks an important milestone for the Fiji Coconut Millers Ltd, as the newly refurbished coconut storage area has led to achieving the HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) status for the food grade products,” he said.
“The HACCP is a system which provides the outline for monitoring the entire food system, from harvesting to consumption, with the aim of reducing the risk of any food-borne illness.
The system is therefore designed to locate, control and mitigate potential problems before they occur.”
Ratu Wiliame said before the concrete slab was constructed, coconuts used to be exposed to mud and dirt which was unhygienic to process into Food Grade Products such as virgin coconut oil and cooking oil.
“So far the company has tried its best to always produce fine cooking oils and virgin coconut oils, but has now upgraded the storage area in compliance with the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP). This $80,000 project was well worth the investment and I am sure has opened the door to more opportunities.”
