BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Minister for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Nestor Giro has reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to implement the Public Account Committee recommendations.
According to PAC recommendation 44, the Ministry should explore avenues for increasing revenue beyond the tuna sector by developing a comprehensive plan to expand seaweed and sea cucumber production and explore processing options within the country.
“This is the path my Ministry is taking, we are now in production targets for seaweed and commercial cultivation of sea cucumber, now started in earnest. The Ministry’s target is to have a privately owned seaweed processing plant in the country in two to three years.
“The target is now to increase our production by 10 metric tonnes by 2026 and 10 metric tonnes by 2027,’’ said Ghiro.
The PAC Committee recommends (Recommendation 45) that the Ministry strongly advocate to the Minister of Finance to remove and prevent future budget reservations on revenue-generating activities like seaweed production and other priority areas.
“Certainly, my Ministry will work with the Minister of Finance and Fisheries to ensure our revenue-generating activities are fully supported to generate needed revenues,’’ responded MFMR Minister.
The PAC Committee also recommends (Recommendation 46) that the Bina Tuna project prioritises fair compensation and resettlement of affected households, taking into account the loss of business and land.
Speaking on the floor of parliament recently Ghiro assured the PAC Chair and its Committee members and this Honourable House that that is the Ministry’s commitment.
“We have developed a relocation scheme guided by our principles of fair compensation, taking into account as flagged loss of business and land. I will personally see to it that our planned resettlement of households in Bina must be done by our culture and tradition,’’ he said.
The PAC also recommend in Recommendation 47 that the Ministry advocate for the inclusion of non-appropriated funds within its national budget to enhance transparency, accountability and the Ministry’s control over resource allocation, ensuring alignment with national priorities and services.
The PAC assured the Ministry that this could involve revising financial agreements and strengthening the Ministry’s capacity for project management and oversight.
“This is yet another important recommendation for my Ministry to implement. We will work together with the Ministry of Finance and Fisheries and our donors to address this concern, given that the Ministry of Finance alone is a signatory to our project financing agreements. We are implementers for these agreements,’’ Giro said.
