September 27, 2010

 

Taiwanese firm's tilapia breeding advances

Sea Party Technology Co Ltd has had at least 200,000 tilapia breeders transferred in from Taiwan since October 2009, said Tanjung Manis Development Sdn Bhd executive director Hashim Bojet.

 

"The company targets to set up more ponds (to increase the fish population) to produce collagen from fish bones and scales. The collagen is used for food processing and manufacturing of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products," he elaborated.

 

Sea Party, the first major investor in Tanjung Manis Halal Hub, had aspired to shift into prawn, chlorella and other farming activities with the use of biotechnology.

 

Chlorella, the green single-cell algae that possess a chemical structure and size resembling that of human red blood cells, is responsible for the production of proteins, enzymes and energy in cells. It boosts the immune system and slows aging.

 

The company has determined that rain water used for breeding fish in Sarawak is of good quality and free of pollution. In contrast, Taiwan's water quality is not as favourable.

 

"The company is looking at integrated farming covering 1,625 hectares," he informed.

 

Sea Party, having invested some TWD2 billion (US$63.3 million) in the halal hub, would later go into halal food processing and manufacturing feed meal, and intends to establish research and development plants for aquaculture and agriculture, Hashim said.

 

Local firm Petanza Sdn Bhd had ventured into tilapia rearing there.

 

"It now has 150 cages with each cage having some 1,000 fish. There is not enough supply to meet the demand for catfish locally, especially from hotels and local restaurants. The fish fetches about TWD7 (US$0.22) a kg in the market," he added.

 

Petanza will take on large-scale tilapia rearing once the proposed 202 hectares aquaculture area is ready in 18 months' time. Last month, tender for a road project to connect to the aquaculture area was awarded.

 

Hashim heartened additional companies to go into tilapia rearing in the halal hub, stating that they should not only target the selling live fish but also to process it into valued-added health products.

 

"With big production, we can extract Omega-3 (fish oil) from the tilapia to produce capsules which will give very good returns," he added.