Port Vila, VANUATU — Vanuatu's Minister of Agriculture says a small cannery will be built this year for the tuna market.

For years the Vanuatu Government has been planning the establishment of a processing plant for its company Sino-Van.

Sino-Van is a joint-venture between the Vanuatu government, which owns 49 percent of the firm, and the Chinese National Fisheries Corporation

The plant will start by feeding its domestic demand until it secures a greater market for international exports.

The facility will be established on land owned by Sino-Van.