Brava: Furna’s fishing community pleased with increased ice production
The fishing community of Furna, on the island of Brava, expressed its satisfaction today with the start of operations at the ice production plant, which was recently equipped with modern machinery and is already ensuring a sufficient supply for the island.
In statements to Inforpress, Jaime Tavares, a resident of Furna and a professional involved in various maritime activities, said that the operation of the new facility represents a “great benefit” for the island’s entire fishing community.
“We can now say that even the neighboring island of Fogo is benefiting from the ice produced at our facility. We are very happy with this new project, because we previously had a plant with less capacity that eventually broke down, but this new one has greater capacity and is comfortably serving everyone,” he said.
According to him, the plant’s production capacity may also allow for the supply of ice to fishing vessels from other islands, since daily production is considered sufficient to meet local needs.
He therefore expressed his gratitude to the Government and the Brava Municipal Council for implementing the project.
For his part, Reinaldo Ramos, also a resident of Furna, highlighted the importance of the infrastructure for a community whose economy is strongly tied to fishing and the sale of fish.
“It is a major infrastructure project, considering that the Furna community depends on fishing for its livelihood, with many fishermen and fishmongers,” he noted.
According to the same source, in the past the community faced frequent difficulties related to the availability of ice, a situation that ultimately affected fishermen, boat owners, and fish transporters.
The same source explained that the increase in production particularly benefits fish packers who ship fish to other islands, since the lack of ice was previously one of the main constraints on the preservation and transport of fish.
The Furna ice production facility was fully equipped with new and modern machinery, now boasting a production capacity of two metric tons of ice per day, thereby strengthening support for fishing and fish marketing activities on the island.
The modernization project represented a total investment of 6.7 thousand contos, the result of a partnership between the Brava Municipal Council and the Ministry of the Sea, with funding from the Autonomous Fisheries Fund.
Through this initiative, the authorities aim to improve fish preservation conditions, increase the efficiency of the marketing chain, and contribute to the development of the fisheries sector, considered one of the main economic pillars of the Furna community.
Inforpress
