September 30, 2009

Malaysia's aquaculture industry was expected to earn MYR20 billion (US$5.78 billion) revenue if the National Aquaculture Development Plan (NADP) and Organic certification scheme could move forward in the near term, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Tuesday (Sept 29).

According to Muhyiddin, there is much potential in aquaculture, a sub-sector of agriculture, as Malaysia is surrounded by water.

If Malaysia could improve with existing technologies from Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia itself, it would bring in major investments to enhance the national economy, Muhyiddin said.

The government would provide assistance in terms of land and support system for investors who wanted to embark in areas relating to food production, he said.

The National Aquaculture Development Plan was launched in late 2007 as part of the government's move to improve the fishing industry.

Organic certification scheme was in line with the government's aim to be among the main contributors of organic fish and shrimp in the ASEAN, said Datuk Junaidi Che Ayub, Fisheries Department director-general.

Currently all farms producing aquaculture products under the Common Fund for Commodities/Food and Agriculture Organisation/INFOFISH -CFC/FAO/INFOFISH Organic Aquaculture Project were getting certification from Thailand's Organic Aquaculture Farms and Products Certification Centre (OAPC), he said.

With the organic certification scheme, the cost of getting certification from abroad would be minimised, he said.

Malaysia's aquaculture products were expected to reach 508,000 tonnes or worth MYR6.9 billion (US$1.99 billion) by end of next year, he said

The products would come from 49 aquaculture industrial zones, covering 28,000 hectares in Malaysia, he said.