New fishing factory to employ 200 people

A NEW fishing factory that was inaugurated at Walvis Bay on Friday will employ 200 people.

The Merlus Group constructed the Merlus Cormorant factory at a cost of N$70 million, and also acquired a N$34-million wet-fish trawler.

The new factory, which is situated at the Merlus Fishing company premises, can employ up to 440 people at optimal capacity, but due to limited quota availability, the 200 people who will be employed will boost the group’s total employment figure to 1 400 people.

The Merlus Group already had two factories. The opening of the new factory brings the total output of finished high-end consumer products of the group to 13 000 tonnes of fish, ready to be exported to the premium European markets.

The group’s director Julio Lloves, noted that the company has come a long way and will continue to contribute to the wellbeing of Namibians.

“We started with a bit of hake and monk, then this property came. We are now here. Our interest is not merely to make money. It is not the centre of our lives. I am proud that we are now more than 1 000 people in the Merlus Group, earning a living with honesty, dignity and pride. We will be doing this for many years to come,” he said.

The minister of fisheries and marine resources Derek Klazen, who officiated at the event, applauded the company for doing its best to address employment and adhere to rules and regulations of the fishing industry.

“I feel encouraged, as the minister of fisheries and marine resources, about the faith and confidence the Merlus Group has shown in the Namibian fishing industry, particularly in this post-Covid era. You always do what you are asked to do. If I was still a teacher, I would say you are an A-student. This industry needs to benefit from the fishing industry,” he said.

Klazen also applauded the company that also recently constructed a styrofoam factory on a recently acquired N$50-million property to supply the new wet fish processing plant, with the specialised packaging material required for the ultra-delicate nature of the long-line and wet-fish export market.

“With these two additions to the new Cormorant Fishing factory, the quantum of total investments made by the Merlus Group for this project alone is a staggering N$154 million. These types of investments are a testimony of the resilience of the business-friendly and conducive policies the Namibian government fosters to attract foreign [investment], but most importantly, domestic investment in our economy. It also speaks to the heart of the growth at home strategy of the Namibian government, where industries are encouraged to put up high value-added processing capacities at locations where the raw materials are available, instead of creating manufacturing capacities at the locations of the end markets at the cost of local employment,” he said.

The Merlus Group was also applauded for its social investment responsibility role in the country. It includes the funding of a N$500 000 hydroponics project at Delta High School in Windhoek, sponsorship of 39 full-time bursaries to Grade 12-level employees, building of 11 classrooms at various schools at Walvis Bay and some rural areas, funding the construction of boreholes in various rural areas and funding of feeding programmes in various regions.