He added ZIA was a major project in terms of providing job opportunities with high income to participants and opening new businesses in the fisheries industry.
"It is a value-added project to be implemented on a commercial scale to generate new income for fishermen, graduates and those under the Housing Programme for the Hardcore Poor.
"The main objective of ZIA is to increase the income of the participants to more than RM3,000 monthly," he told reporters after launching the project at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tapah near here.
Abdullah said if seriously implemented, the ZIA project could bring about a major change to the country's economic development.
Abdullah urged the private sector to be seriously involved in fisheries especially in the export business so that the produce could be marketed overseas.
"Private sector involvement is important as the sale of fish products will help increase the income of the people," he added.
Stressing that aquaculture will become a major thrust of the fisheries industry in the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), he advised the project participants to listen attentively to the agencies involved to ensure it will meet the objective.
Source: Bernama