Minister Visits Tutong Prawn Farms

Accompanying the minister were MIPR Deputy Minister, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdillah bin Haji Abd Wahab; MIPR Permanent Secretary, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mohd Hamid bin Haji Mohd Jaafar; MIPR Deputy Permanent Secretary, Pengiran Hajah Mariana binti PDNLDR Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin; Acting Director of Fisheries Department, Awang Haji Abdul Halidi Mohd Salleh; Directors and Senior Officers of MIPR; Technical Director of Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI); and entrepreneurs in the prawn-farming aquaculture industry.

The working visit was an initiative by MIPR to show support and provide encouragement to local businesses in the industry. It provided an opportunity for the top-level decision-makers of MIPR to take a closer look at the prawn-farming facilities, as well as to hear suggestions and operational issues faced by the businesses. This gave a broader picture of the status of the implementation of national development projects under the MIPR, especially in the aquaculture industry. Three months prior to this, a similar visit was made to the Brunei-Muara sites.

Aquaculture farms visited yesterday included: Prawn hatchery in Kampong Kuala Tutong; Semaun Aquaculture Sdn Bhd prawn cultivation site at 'Telisai Sungai Paku Fasa 1; Usaha Asilati Sdn Bhd site at Kampong Keramut ‘Telasai Fasa 1', DuaODua Sdn Bhd site at Kampong Keramut 'Telisai Fasa I'.

In addition, to push the development drive of the industry, the Fisheries Department has employed the services of international aquaculture specialists, Integrated Aquaculture International from the USA. These experts will contribute prawn larvae production technologies and prawn-nursery technologies to keep prawns till they are ready for export. These expert contributions are expected to resolve issues regarding production capacity, consistency, quality, and prawn larvae mortality.

Source: BruneiDirect.com