Expert Hired to Help Aquaculture Producers
TUTONG, 10
April 2007, Tuesday - The government has tapped an expert to help
aquaculture producers overcome problems on quality, production, and
manpower.
During a visit to
aquaculture industrial sites at the Tutong district yesterday, Pehin
Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Awg Ahmad Hj Jumat, the
Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, said he hopes that, with the
help of experts, production problems such as undercapacity and
non-consistency and spotty quality due to poor pool management can be
overcome.
Brought in to help the
industry is an international aquaculture specialist through the
Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI) Company of the United States.
The specialist brought with
him prawn harvesting and maintenance technologies designed to improve
production volumes and stock quality.
The minister's visit was
one of the initiatives by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources
to support prawn entrepreneurs in the sultanate.
The visit was organised to
give the minister and his delegation an opportunity to see and listen to
any proposal to improve the industry's performance.
The industry is projected
to bring in $200 million in earnings by 2025.
In 2006, a total of 230
hectares was allocated for the sea-prawn aquaculture industry. Of this,
130 hectares is in the Tutong district, ran by six local companies. A
total of 100 hectares is in the Brunei- Muara district managed by seven
local companies.
The site is in Keramut,
Telisai Phase I (92 hectares), Telisai Sungai Paku Phase I (38
hectares), Pengkalan Sibabau Phase I (50 hectares) and Pengkalan Sibabau
Phase II (50 hectares).
The minister visited a
prawn harvesting company in Kuala Tutong; Semaun Aquaculture in Telisai,
the prawn harvesting site by the Usaha Asilati company at Kampung
Keramut, Telisai Phase I and DuaODua, Kampung Keramut Telisai Phase I.
Tutong District prawn
producers contributed 47 per cent of sea-prawn harvests, with the
majority from the Telisai Phase I site.
A total of 246 metric
tonnes was produced last year from 92 hectares, with 100 pools.
Rostris prawn is the most
popular in the local market and Brunei's major export to the United
States, Japan and Asean countries.
With the minister during
the visit were Dato Paduka Awg Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab, the Deputy
Minister; Dato Paduka Awg Hj Mohd Hamid Hj Mohd Jaafar, the Permanent
Secretary and Pg Hjh Mariana PDNLDR Pg Hj Abdul Momin, the Deputy
Permanent Secretary and other senior officials of the ministry. Also
present were Awg Hj Abdul Halidi Mohd Salleh, Fisheries Acting Director
and other officials.
Dr George Chamberlain,
Technical Director at the Integrated Aquaculture International Company,
welcomed the minister and his delegation, along with prawn industry
entrepreneurs.
- Courtesy of The
Brunei Times -
