15 Jan 2010

Togiola off to Thailand in bid to revive American Samoa cannery

5:38 pm on 15 January 2010

American Samoa's Governor Togiola Tulafono is bound for Thailand to meet the owners of Chicken of the Sea, Thai Union, which had a cannery in Pago Pago.

The plant closed on September the 30th, putting more than 2,000 people out of work.

The governor says he will be discussing the future of the Samoa Packing plant with Thai Union.

The governor has been trying to get the legislature to approve an appropriations bill of five million US dollars to acquire the remaining assets of Samoa Packing but the Fono has not approved this.

The governor wants the government to own the plant and retain a company with experience in the tuna business to run it.