MOVING towards supporting His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s aspirations, particularly in ensuring that all of the projects under the 10th National Development Plan go smoothly as planned, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, as the Chairman of the National Committee of the 10th National Development Plan, paid a working visit to the Aquaculture Research and Development Centre and the Sungai Paku Fish Culture Industrial Site as part of an excursion to the Tutong District yesterday.

Both projects were initiated by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.

The Aquaculture Research and Development Centre is a 10-hectare pilot-scale farm consisting of 15 ponds of 0.25 hectares and two ponds of 0.70 hectares. Since 2007, initiated by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and Integrated Aquaculture International, USA, the ponds are designed to test new technologies for the production of large size black tiger shrimps.

In the briefing presented by Hjh Rosinah binti Hj Yusof, Senior Fisheries Officer, she said that the centre will include a Nucleus Breeding Facility, and a self contained biosecure environment for the production of the SPH black tiger shrimp, which will see it go through its complete life cycle to maturity.

The breeding programme will be assisted by an Aquatic Animal Health Services Centre through health surveillance and protocols in order to protect and ensure the health of the shrimps. The visit was concluded with a presentation of a pesambah to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The 40-hectare Sungai Paku Fish Culture Industrial Site is for the Telisai Eco-Aquaculture Park, a sustainable, land-based commercial fisheries production, culturing fresh fish for export.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was greeted upon arrival by Hjh Hasnah binti Hj Ibrahiim, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.

Hj Abdul Halidi bin Mohd Salleh, Acting Director of the Department of Fisheries and Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Hj Said bin Hj Saidin, the High Quality Fish Farming Entrepreneur, in their briefing said that the project site will be divided into 26 allotments of between 1.0 and 1.2 hectares, and will provide opportunities for foreign and local based investors.

Allotment sizing is generally the minimum for a viable single farm unit that can generate at least 100 tonnes of fresh fish per annum.

The first lot has been awarded to Myinvesco Hi-Q Biotech Sdn Bhd, which will soon be operational to support the contribution from the fishery sector to the economic growth within the Sultanate.

The visit concluded with His Royal Highness being presented a pesambah and the signing of a plaque. - Borneo Bulletin (25 May 2014)