The President of the Government highlighted today the path of recovery and sustainability of Santa Catarina cannery, which enabled this company to play an important role in terms of job creation, but also in terms of the external promotion of Calheta, São Jorge Island and the Azores.
 
The Government's intervention and the strategy developed in this cannery demonstrate that, "together with its workers, it was possible to put this factory up again, which has become a decisive factor in the promotion of the municipality of Calheta, São Jorge Island and the Azores," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
After visiting the canned tuna plant, under the statutory visit to São Jorge, Vasco Cordeiro stressed that recent times were marked by the certification in terms of food quality and safety that enables Santa Catarina cannery to be on the international market. The President of the Government also mentioned the successive distinctions with international awards and a trading strategy that involves the recent implementation of agreements with large commercial establishments.
 
According to him, the Government's intervention in this company, which currently employs about 140 people, mostly women, also represents an investment in regional cohesion through the creation of conditions for the existence of development hubs in Calheta, similarly to what happens throughout the Region.
 
"From an operational point of view, Santa Catarina cannery has assured its sustainability, but there is another important aspect: the people who depend on this plant. In this regard, the Regional Government was the entity that ensured that the maintenance of this plant," said the government official.
 
During the second day of the statutory visit to São Jorge, Vasco Cordeiro also visited the construction site of Calheta Basic Education and Secondary School, an investment of 15 million Euros that will capacity for 500 students.
 
On the occasion, the President of the Government stressed that this investment adds up to other ongoing investments, such as the interventions in the school and port of Velas, the health centres of Calheta and Velas, among others, which are also factors of regional cohesion.