Yamaha Motor Approved for JICA Survey - Senegal Fishing Industry Modernization and FRP Business Preparatory Survey Begin -

IWATA, February 10, 2016- Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) announced today that it has applied and been approved for the Incorporated Administrative Agency Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA)’s FY2015 first “Preparatory Survey for BOP Business Promotion”.

The project chosen is “Preparatory survey for modernization of fishery by introducing FRP(Fiberglass Reinforced Plastics) boat, and feasibility of launching FRP manufacturing plant” in Senegal. It will involve Yamaha Motor providing its FRP boat-building technology in Senegal to enable the local manufacturing and sale of FRP fishing boats. By doing so, the aim is to resolve issues with wooden fishing boats, such as hygiene management of the catch, safety, and maintenance costs, as well as increase the income of small-scale fishermen and the safety of operation. Moreover, the transition from wooden to FRP fishing boats can be expected to contribute to the preservation of fisheries resources and forestry through moving to a “quality not quantity” model, in which even small volumes of product can be kept hygienic and sold at high prices.

Yamaha Motor began the manufacturing and sale of outboard motors and FRP boats in 1960, and has been transferring FRP boat technology overseas since the 1970s. This technology has been transferred to a total of 33 countries to date, and with operations currently taking place in 13 countries, 3,000 boats are being manufactured annually for a cumulative total of 65,000 boats. Yamaha Motor began its business in Africa in the 1960s, and currently has distributors in 52 of 54 African nations, which work in the manufacturing and sale of motorcycles, and sale of marine products, generators, water purification systems, etc.

Aiming to promote BOP business initiatives by Japanese companies, JICA’s “Preparatory Survey for BOP Business Promotion”began in FY 2010 as the framework to support survey activities. JICA will provide support up to 50 million yen within a period of three years for survey and information-gathering costs in order to build BOP businesses that address social problems such as poverty and starvation.