Levuka-based PAFCO has restarted normal production and has increased to 80 tonnes per day.

Pacific Fishing Company Limited (PAFCO) chairman, Ikbal Jannif said the company is trying not to work on weekends but hoping that from the beginning of June they will be able to do 2 shifts per day Monday to Friday.

The resumption follows extensive repairs to damage from when Cyclone Winston battered Levuka on February 20.

Mr Jannif said: “We are still fixing up problems as we discover them, particularly in the electrical area but enough has been now repaired so we are now operating the normal shift.

“At this point in time, we have spent around $3million for repairs and to take some emergency action to get into production,” he said.

“The stock and supplies have not been affected. We were able to, with the assistance of FEA to get power into our cold storage in about 96 hours and because the fish is frozen around -22 degrees and it is quite tightly packed, it takes a while to defrost.

“We have submitted our claims through our insurance brokers and are expecting to get some payment as progress payment before the end of this week.

“Estimated damage cannot be told but we are working progressively and as we move from section to section, we are able to find and fix the problems.

“We are very fortunate that our insurance company through our brokers has been assisting us. By making resources available to us so that we can start more production as quickly as possible.”

Production had been stopped for two months and the company suffered loss during this time.

“We export raw materials to Bumblebee packing plant but because we were not able to export the raw material to their packing plant in United States.

“Hence they bought their raw material from somewhere else. So we lost on that opportunity.

“However, Bumblebee has been very good to us and they have agreed that as soon as we are able to get back into absolute production into 120 tonnes per day as we plan to do from the first week of June, they will be able to take all our exports.

“So whilst we have lost ground, we are hoping to make up for the lost ground by the end of this year.

“We are paying for the repair works from within but as the work is completed, we are sending through our brokers, all the documentary evidence and the claim is being examined by the insurance company and they will refund.”

PAFCO is facing some issues which were kept confidential at this stage but they are currently talking to some decision makers and some stakeholders regarding the matter.

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