INDUSTRY FOCUS: FOOD & AGRICULTURE

hard work is fantastic for the local workforce, which sits at around 800 people depending on time of year.

“It is a good environment to work in,” says Ramdenee. “Everyone knows what they have to do. We are running a business so we do have to be sustainable. The fishing industry is seasonal. There are times when fishermen and crew are not working. We equip ourselves for that, we prepare and develop other tasks. It’s not all about profit – it is about an eco-system including the whole community. You have to balance what you can do, and that is what I am proud of.”

LOCAL, REGIONAL, GLOBAL

A Level 1 BBBEE company, with significant local procurement scores, the business is committed to safety through a large network of regional partners, but this does present challenges in ensuring quality of the highest standard.

“We do give preferences to BEE companies, but they must be able to deliver. Our supply chain is critical to the running of the business and we are well-staffed. Whoever we deal with has to be the best. We cannot take risks, we are pedantic about this to ensure we keep our costs down. Everything is checked and audited to ensure we are getting the right prices – that is how we maintain our costs and production,” explains Ramdenee.

At the same time, Premier Fishing is building partnerships in the community and, in the past five years, invested more than R12 million into education and feeding schemes. R2 million was spent on learnerships, education, and skills development in 2022 alone. This comes at a time when the South African economy is challenged from all directions and the global economy remains highly unpredictable and uncertain. Today, Premier Fishing is debt free and at the helm of its own destiny.

“We have our own vessels, equipment, people, and sites,” says Ramdenee. “One of the most important things to ensure is that any vessel we put to sea is safe. There is an emphasis on this because we are putting people’s lives on the boat. We have to ensure they are up to standard with regards to repairs and maintenance. Diesel costs a lot of money – sometimes people can be out at sea for around a month, and that is expensive. We do have a central procurement team, and we have shore skippers at each location to ensure we have the right conditions to go to sea.”

According to a study from Stanford University, global demand for seafood is set to double by 2050. China alone will consume around 100 million tonnes