Source: Business Mirror
The Philippines’ biggest tuna exporter RD Group is investing a total of $45 million next year for the expansion of its operations in General Santos City in Mindanao, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Rodrigo Rivera Sr., chairman of the RD Group of Companies, told reporters the company is spending $15 million to increase its semiprocessed and canned-tuna manufacturing facility in General Santos from the current 140 tons per day to 200 tons. The expansion, he said, will commence in the first quarter of 2010 and would entail the hiring of up to 1,500 more employees.
RD, which supplies unbranded canned tuna to huge markets such as Japan, the United States and Europe, currently has about 11,000 workers in the country. About 90 percent of its employees are women. It will also expand its Papua New Guinea facility with an investment of $13 million.
The company has also allocated $17 million for its new tuna production site in Indonesia. RD accounts for about 30 percent of the country’s total tuna exports. It ships an average of 14 containers per day. A container of finished tuna products is valued at $42,000. RD Corp. is composed of four fishing companies namely RD Fishing Industry Inc, RD Tuna Ventures Inc., South Sea Fishing Ventures Philippines Inc. and Asia Pacific Allied Fishing Ventures Corp.
The RD Fishing’s fishing fleet counts102 vessels – 18 catchers, eight reefer carriers, 17 fish carriers, 49 Ranger/Light Boats, 1 Tanker, 1 Tugboat and eight other support vessels.
The combined fishholding capacity of the fleet’s superseiners ranges from 450 to 1,200 metric tons; while the reef carriers have a maximum capacity of 2,400 metric tons.