Aquaculture production in Malaysia's Terengganu higher than expected

Aquaculture production in the eastern state of Terengganu is expected to grow by as much as 10 percent compared with the earlier target of just eight percent.

The State Fisheries Department director Munir Mohd Nawi said that last year, the industry's production exceeded 6,000 tonnes.

He said although the production of aquaculture fish was small compared with fishing, where 110,000 tonnes could be obtained a year, its market value was much high due to demand.

With a long coastline along West Malaysia's east coast, Terengganu has been the target of recent plans for the Federal government to expand aquaculture production to ensure food self-sufficiency.

In July, the Malaysian government announced it would allocate RM 342 million (US$105 million ) under the ninth Malaysian plan to develop 49 aquaculture sites nationwide. The sum was boosted from the original RM 195 million (US$60 million ) after the government initiated the food security plan recently.

Malaysia's agriculture ministry aims for the country to harvest 662,000 tonnes of aquaculture production in 2010, four times its current production.