Brunei-China Fisheries Venture
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 10
September 2008,
Wednesday - Brunei's fisheries sector is set to receive a boost after
the Fisheries Department and China's Guangdong Provincial Oceanic and
Fisheries Administration agreed to collaborate in developing the
aquaculture industry.
The areas of cooperation between both parties include the establishment
of relationships between the private sectors of both countries, and the
implementation of joint projects, including offshore aquaculture
development.
The Fisheries Department at the Ministry of Industry and Primary
Resources (MIPR) is hoping that Guangdong's expertise in fisheries would
help develop fisheries development in Brunei, said Hjh Hasnah Ibrahim,
fisheries director.
She was speaking during yesterday's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
ceremony between the Fisheries Department and the Guangdong Provincial
Oceanic and Fisheries Administration at the MIPR.
Hjh Hasnah said that Brunei has recently purchased the square and round
cages for inshore and offshore cage culture operations from China to
upgrade the fish cage culture technology in Brunei.
Guangdong's capture fisheries industry is also involved in the
production of tuna, an activity which can be further explored, together
with the development of fisheries resources in Zone 4 of Brunei's
waters, she said.
"Brunei has rich fisheries resources and advantageous natural
conditions. All these have created a good chance for fishery cooperation
between our two sides," said Chen Liangyao, deputy director-general of
the Guangdong Provincial Oceanic and Fisheries Administration.
He added that Guangdong and Brunei had a lot of potential for fisheries
cooperation and they are willing to strengthen the fishery cooperation
between both sides.
Other areas that were identified for cooperation include organising
human resource training, workshops and seminars related to the fisheries
development, including study visits, work attachments and exchange of
experts, as well as carrying out operations on red tide prevention and
treatment.
The permanent secretary at the MIPR, Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Hamid Hj Mohd
Jaafar, and Tong Xiaoling, Chinese Ambassador in Brunei were present to
witness the signing ceremony.
The Guangdong Provincial Oceanic and Fisheries Administration is a
provincial governmental organisation tasked with coastal and oceanic
management and the development of the fisheries industry in Guangdong
province.
Some 70 per cent of Guangdong's fisheries production comes from
aquaculture. With a long coastline of 3,668km, Guangdong is also one of
China's largest seafood producers.
- Courtesy of
the Brunei Times -
