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PRG: Traditional Values, Modern Outlook |
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Archives -
2007 Archive
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Written by A. Cross
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Monday, 21 May 2007 |
Salted fish, fresh fillets and farmed salmon have long been PRG Export’s main product categories, however salmon production is set to increase considerably this year with new harvesting technology being implemented.
Combining traditional values with the latest technology is what has kept Göta-based producer PRG Export at the top of the game. The company, a family-owned operation, has irons in several fires, with traditional saltfish production, fresh fish exports and interests in the salmon business that are now being stepped up.
Sales manager Óli Hansen says that a common theme that runs through every thing the company does is quality and this goes right the way to sourcing raw material, virtually all of which comes from local longline vessels, and everything is purchased through the Faroe Fish Market.
“We have a great deal of experience and expertise now in sourcing quality fish and maintaining that quality throughout the production process to the finished product,” Mr Hansen says.
“We also know the fleet very well and we are very aware of who is who in terms of which boats are catching what species, how they handle and grade their fish, how long they are at sea and where they land.”
Managing director Páll Gregersen comments that PRG Export as it is today is the sales department of an extensive family enterprise that has been in existence since 1929, when dry-salted fish for export was the main focus of production.
“Since then our production has grown and become more varied and our present strength is based on a sound combination of tradition and expertise,” he says.
PRG Export today is a highly efficient, partially vertically integrated company that has taken on board the latest technology to meet the 21st century demands for quality and traceability, but without losing sight of the traditional skills and methods that were part of its origins.
The company has a throughput each year of between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes of raw fish, with the larger grades destined for the traditional saltfish markets of southern Europe. Saltfish is primarily cod, although tusk and blue ling are also made into saltfish products, both split fish and salted fillets.
“Salted fish is a stable market that we have served for decades, with a long-established customer base in the Mediterranean region, primarily in Spain and Italy,” Mr Hansen says.
“This is one of the oldest saltfish producing companies in the Faroe Islands. We have customers we have been dealing with for many years and we have built long-standing relationships with these people. These are very loyal and valued customers who know exactly what we produce and the quality they can expect from us. In return, we make every effort to meet their requirements.”
Smaller sizes of cod are also likely to find their way to export markets as fresh fillets, as are fillets and portions produced from redfish, saithe and monkfish.
PRG Export was one of the companies that pioneered salmon aquaculture in the Faroe Islands, but after the tribulations of recent years, the company is now one of a small number of well-established players in this business after a great deal of consolidation has taken place in the industry.
Main markets for PRG’s salmon products are in whole, gutted fish exported fresh or frozen to the US and UK. With the entire process from broodstock and hatching through to farming, harvest, slaughter and processing, PRG is now set to expand its presence in the salmon business and to increase its throughput from the present sale volume of approximately 3,000 tonnes per year to 5,000 tonnes.
Mr Hansen says that controlling the whole fish farming process effectively is key, eliminating any unknown factors.
“Every aspect of the salmon rearing and processing is monitored carefully,” he says, “from water temperatures to rates of feed supply to the growing fish.”
Coupled with the prime conditions in Faroese waters — some of the cleanest waters in the world — this gives PRG’s salmon a quality that makes it a world-class product.
“It’s a product that is fully traceable through every stage.”
With the addition of new technology the company is preparing to make a significant increase in its production of fresh and frozen salmon.
“We are investing in new, state-of-the-art harvesting technology which will be implemented in the course of 2007. This should enable us to increase salmon production to about 5,000 tonnes, which is quite significant considering that the annual volume has been 3,000 to 3,500 tonnes over the past 10 years.”
Link to pdf presentation...
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