February 12, 2010

Yemen and Saudi Arabia discuss aquaculture project

Aquaculture ministers from Yemen and Saudi Arabia discussed the practical procedures to implement investment projects in the fields of shrimp aquaculture and catching fish in the Red Sea area with a cost of YER1 billion.

The Yemen Minister of Fisheries Mohamed Shamlan met on Wednesday (Feb 10) with General Managers of the Saudi National Prawn Company (NPC) and the Global MAM Corporation.

These projects come within the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides in July 2008, including the cooperation in fields of fisheries exports development, shrimp aquaculture, and setting up projects in field of fish farming, fisheries industries and coastal and industrial fishing.

Furthermore, the projects to be carried out by the company and the corporation include establishment of laboratories and centres equipped with the latest techniques in compliance with the global standards to prepare and develop the fish exports, and operating a number of industrial fishing boats in the economic zone as well as exchanging the global information and experiences that regulate the fisheries activities and the fisheries resources management and development.

Shamlan pointed the importance of these projects in the fisheries sector development in the state through operating a huge number of labourers in the coastal areas, affirming the government's keenness to attract more investments in this sector as it is an important and promising sector and a main resource for the national economy.

He also called upon for more global investment companies to invest in the fisheries sector in Yemen.