Ministry plans to make Sabah a 'seafood hub'

Kota Kinabalu: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry has wider plans to make Sabah a 'seafood hub' including becoming the main producer of the fishery-based products.Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin who is also Deputy Chief Minister said the Fisheries Department will realise this plan as it is in line with the government agenda to achieve the vision of Malaysia becoming a high-income nation by 2020.

To achieve this, he said the Fisheries Department will focus on increasing the income of target groups in the fisheries sector as one of its action plans to enhance the trading of seafood as well as helping to further improve the State's economy.

"There are four main strategic that the department will focus on namely increasing the participation of main producers including fishermen and livestock breeders in downstream fisheries-based products and expand opportunities for local producers to develop.

"Apart from this, it also plans to enhance productivity of the local and small-time aquaculture operators and instil a culture of innovation and creativity among the stakeholders of the local aquaculture industry," he said.

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Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government continued its momentum in managing the economy in line with the commitment and spirit of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) when it posted record high state revenue of RM6.973 billion last year.

Yahya was replying to Karamunting assemblyman Charles O Pang Su Pin during question time at the State Assembly.

"Presently, there are four companies under the NKEA programme of developing integrated prawn farming in Sabah in which the companies need to put in their money first to kick off the integrated project covering the development of prawn ponds and to set up a hatchery centre and processing plant.

"With the commitment of these four companies, it would provide job opportunities to 4,351 people in various categories once the projects are fully operational," he said.

Yahya said the department will assist in ensuring the operators comply with export requirements in the aspect of food safety and biosecurity.

He said the department will promote 'Good Aquaculture Practices' at plantation level via the Malaysia Good Agriculture Practices (MyGAP) certification and Fish Quality Certificate (FQC).

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He said aquaculture products from Sabah have successfully penetrated the United State of America and Europe markets and up to October 2015, a total of 58 certificates have been approved for plantations in Sabah, becoming the state with the highest number of MyGAP certificate holders out of 140 active total MyGAP holders in the country.

Yahya said the department has also been allocated with RM2 million under the 11th Malaysia Plan under the fishery-based downstream products and entrepreneurship programme to help 80 local operators every year beginning this year.

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