Fishermen in Vanua Levu were looking forward to the opening of a $115,000 ice plant at Nabouwalu in Bua as it meant they would no longer worry about trying to sell their catch quickly before it went bad.
In the absence of freezers, many villagers suffered because their catch would spoil when kept out in the open for long periods of time.
An article in The Fiji Times on November 7, 1986, stated things started to look bright for these fishermen when the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Primary Industries introduced a plant that was capable of producing a tonne of ice block every 24 hours.
Fishermen around the coast of Bua were elated they had access to an abundant supply of ice at their very doorstep.
During the opening ceremony, the then Tui Bua Ratu Isikeli Nagagvoka praised government for providing the plant.
“The ice plant and the marketing facilities will be an incentive for our local fishermen and a source of employment for our rural people,” he said.
Officers from the Fisheries Division and Agriculture Department controlled the sale of ice at the plant besides conducting extension duties, while an officer from the National Marketing Authority handled marketing of fish, he said.
The problem of fish going bad on the way to Labasa was solved with the ice and marketing facilities available at Nabouwalu.
The national Marketing Authority agent at Nabouwalu, Manasa Tuidauma. said ice boxes had been installed in four villages and ice would be supplied from Nabouwalu.
“Our aim is to help our local fishermen with marketing and providing the best quality and fresh fish to our customers.”
Representing a group of fishermen at the opening was Laisenia of Sawani Village who said he wanted to thank the government and the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Japanese government for their financial support to help develop the fishing industry in our country.
“We have the people and the fishing potential in Bua, and I don’t see any problem or failure.
“What is needed is constructive thinking and support from all involved.
“In the past we usually went all the way to Labasa to sell our fish and purchase our ice. This was very time consuming.”
