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| Bobbey (right) presenting a certificate to a recipient watched by state fisheries director Rayner Stuel Galid (centre) |
TAWAU: Sabah has the potential to become the biggest producer of aquaculture products in the country by 2010.
Disclosing this, Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Yahya Hussin said this was based on the forecast on the output of aquaculture products by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia of 207,200 metric tonnes valued at RM2.5 billion for the period.
Yahya who is also Agriculture and Food Industry Minister said by 2010 Sabah was expected to produce 33,000 metric tonnes of seawater prawns worth RM1.06 billion, marine fish (30,700 metric tonnes; RM1.23 billion), freshwater fish (12,700 metric tonnes; RM125 million), cockles (6,000 metric tonnes; RM28 million) and seaweed (125,000 metric tonnes; RM24 million).
He said the targets set by the department are expected to make the state the biggest producer of aquaculture products by 2010.
‘Sabah, with vast areas that are suitable for aquaculture, has the potential to become the centre for aquaculture and this potential has been recognised by the department,” he said at the launch of state Aquaculture Licensing Programme here yesterday.
The text of his speech was read by the minister’s assistant, Datuk Bobbey Suan.
Yahya said based on the study by the Fisheries Department, 491,359 hectares in the country were suitable for aquaculture, of which 182,260 hectares or 37 percent, were in Sabah.
He said the state fisheries department would formulate various policies and strategic plans to achieve the targets.
“One of the plans is to set up a 63,342-hectare aquaculture industrial zone,” he said.
Yahya also said 24,400 hectares would be used to cultivate seaweed, rearing of marine fish in cages (4,380 hectres), mollusc, including cockles and invertebrates (14,700ha), crustacean, including seawater prawns (17,212ha), brackish water fish (2,390 hectares) and freshwater fish (260 hectares).
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