Majuikan Implements Fishery Project For Hardcore Poor In ECER

July 18, 2008 14:44 PM

Majuikan Implements Fishery Project For Hardcore Poor In ECER

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 (Bernama) -- Majuikan has introduced a fishery project, Fish Protech, to increase income and provide employment for the hardcore poor in Kelantan and Pahang in the East Coast Economic Region(ECER).

A wholly owned subsidiary of the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM), Majuikan is the project implementer of the development programme for the hardcore poor under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The tender process for the development of the Fish Protech site in Tok Bali, Kelantan, has begun. Site works will be complete in November with trial runs in December. Full operations start in January next year.

Kuala Pahang has been identified as the site for the Fish Protech project in Pahang. Construction work will begin soon.

LKIM Director-General, Datuk Mustafa Ahmad said, RM10 million had been allocated for each of the Tok Bali and Kuala Pahang Fish Protech sites.

"The project will benefit the hardcore poor listed under the Ministry of Rural Development and registered with the district office," he said in a statement today.

Mustafa added that the Kelantan and Pahang state governments, together with LKIM, were responsible for channeling benefits to the 300 participants at each Fish Protech site.

"The participants will receive RM500 each every month. With Fish Protech technology, the respective sites can produce 300 metric tonnes annually," Mustafa explained.

The LKIM fishery project is a shift from the conventional method of breeding fish in cages to a fully-intergrated, pollution-free water recirculation and filtering system developed in Australia.

A farm can harvest fish thrice a year.The fish bred using this method are also heavier.

"Species such as barramundi, grouper, jade perch and marbled goby fetch an average RM16.50 per kilogram," Mustafa said.

As the fish breeding is done using tanks, it is less risky with a only five percent death rate compared to 30 using the traditional cage method.

According to Mustafa, the Fish Protech project is an answer to Malaysia's aim of achieving sustainable fish production and being less dependent on imports from Indonesia and Thailand.

The Fish Protech is also planned for Kuala Nerang, Kedah and Muar in Johor.

A first batch of 20 Majuikan staff are undergoing a six-month training programme at a pilot farm in Sepang. They will be assigned to the Fish Protech locations to provide assistance.

-- BERNAMA