The opening of Société du Port might be the first step towards the seafood hub. This new factory will be investing Rs 350 million in tuna processing activities by the end of the year. This project, set up in the context of the seafood hub proposed by the Joint Economic Council (JEC) and strongly supported by the government, aims at converting traditional fishing into a real industrial activity. It will thus develop the logistics for dock work, conversion and export of fishing products.

The main company shareholders are Ireland Blyth, Rogers and Co, Mauritius Chemical and Fertilizer Industry, Harel Mallac and United Docks. Société du Port will actually import some 50 000 tons of tuna each year. The latter will be processed into precooked fillets to be vacuum-packed and re-exported in refrigerated containers to a European canning factory.

Of course, with tuna processing, we are far from the delicacies that Mauritius aims at processing. However, it will be a start for the project. Actually, what the JEC wants is to make of Mauritius a ?world-class seafood hub.? The government remains quite modest; during his visit in India, the PM declared: ?We are also planning to develop our country as a regional seafood hub for African countries.? Anand Dulloo, consultant for fishing enterprises, is quite sure this activity could become ?one of the mainstays of our economy.? According to him, it is the ?best project? of the government, as it will create jobs and generate money. The setting up of Société du Port may mean that the seafood hub project is underway.

However, the latter has to face a number of obstacles. First, there are administrative constraints. A coordination system between the various authorities responsible for delivery of permits is a necessary step for the project to succeed. Then, the director general of Princes Tuna, Rick Heroux, a strong supporter of the seafood hub, points out that ?there should be a one stop shop for the boats that call at Port-Louis.? At the moment, operators have to contact the port authorities, the ministry of Fishing and the ministry of Health before they load their goods. Finally, there is no specific policy to attract seafood-processing investors. Mauritius does not promote this field, unlike Seychelles and Namibia for instance.

Mauritius can nevertheless benefit from various advantages that could help develop the fishing sector. Our maritime zone contains important reserves of seafood, which industrialised countries no longer possess. In such countries, fist is becoming scarcer scarcer . Quotas have thus been imposed. Consequently, they might need to be supplied by developing countries like Mauritius. The country has a EEZ of 1.9 million square kilometers, which contain many species. Besides, Mauritius already benefits from preferential access to both European and American markets.

The director general of Princes Tuna believes Mauritius has the necessary assets to develop the fishing sector. Rick Heroux is however conscious that this will imply a lot of work and commitment from the different stakeholders. For instance, Anand Dulloo explains that more advanced technologies will be needed to develop the seafood hub. At the moment, Princes Tuna itself might have to worry with the opening of another tuna processing factory.