Semporna: The Sabah seaweed industry has penetrated the international markets and China, Philippines and Japan were among the country's importers.Fisheries Department Director-General Datuk Munir Mohd Nawi said the European Union members were also keen to import seaweed but this was dependent on the quality.
"We have our own standard to grade the seaweed and this also depends on whether the entrepreneurs have Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices certificates and meet the requirements of the importing countries," he said.
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He was speaking to reporters after a friendly session with Lok Buton seaweed cluster participants and pre-launch of Seaweed Splash 2018 at Lok Buton Platform, here, Monday.
Munir said the department, together with Sirim Bhd and the Department of Standards Malaysia, had issued guidelines for good seaweed farming practices and up to now over five Lok Buton cluster projects here had MyGAP certification.
"This has also contributed to an increase in seaweed prices which will help boost the income of seaweed farmers," he said.
He said the parties were also committed to developing seaweed-based products through research and development to diversify new seaweed products and strengthen the standard and prices.
Meanwhile, he said, Seaweed Splash 2018 will be held at the end of this March here and targeted 5,000 industry players to promote the agricultural sector, including seaweed products in Sabah.
