Tjao in a can

Paragon Seafood launched a canned variant of its horse mackerel product in the capital this week. Gracing the occasion was the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Hon. Bernard Esau who praised Paragon Fishing for the growth it achieved since its launch in 2011.

He said, “Within a period of two years from its first horse mackerel quota allocation, Paragon Seafood has managed to transform itself from an ordinary rights and quota-holder to a producer, marketer and distributor of value added consumer seafood products.” The launch of the Tjao canned horse mackerel products now compliments its ever expanding product line, which also consists of a 1 kilogram glazed horse mackerel consumer brand. The Tjao 400 gram canned product comes in three variants consisting of tomato, brine and chilli and has a shelf life of 18 months according to the managing director, Stanley Katzao. Katzao said, “We can proudly state that to date Paragon Seafoods has distinguished itself as a corporate entity worthy of imitation by excelling in almost every business endeavour it has undertaken so far.” “If our record so far is anything to go by, we would like to believe that the Ministry will grant us higher quotas to be able to bring these noble ideas to fruition,” he added. The Minister said, “this [lower quartile] is the most vulnerable segment of the population as they are increasingly being squeezed out of the market by escalating food prices. These products which are reasonably priced and easily accessible countrywide, will make a considerable contribution towards food security and poverty eradication.” “What is also noteworthy of this investment is that Paragon Seafood Products converted its own quota into these value added products ready for the consumer packed in cans,” he added. Paragon used the same occasion to hand over a cheque worth N$100,000 which will be used for the drought relief programme as well as 5,000 kilograms of canned Tjao products.