30 Mar 2009

Japan to fund Marshalls fish market

2:42 pm on 30 March 2009

Japan has agreed to spend eight million US dollars in the Marshall Islands to build a new fish market in the capital Marjuro and provide vessels to generate fishing opportunities on isolated islands.

The Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing, the Japanese Embassy Charge d'Affaires Kazuyuki Ohdaira and the head of Japan International Cooperation Agency's Pacific region Juichiro Sasaki signed agreements at the weekend.

Although Marshall Islands is eligible for six million to ten million US dollars a year for major infrastructure aid, this is the first large-scale Japan-funded project in five years.

The Japanese Embassy's Kazuyuki Ohdaira says he is convinced the fish market will greatly improve the living standard of fishermen and consumers.

It is hoped fishermen on the remote atolls of Aur, Arno, Jaluit and Maloelap will feed reef fish into Majuro to go on sale.