Response to Oral Question PL249

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📖 Reading time: 2 minutes
📊 Word count: 336 words

YANG BERHORMAT PENGIRAN HAJI ISA BIN PENGIRAN HAJI ALIUDDIN

QUESTION:

YANG BERHORMAT PENGIRAN HAJI ISA BIN PENGIRAN HAJI ALIUDDIN asks the MINISTER OF PRIMARY RESOURCES AND TOURISM to state the progress made in the farming of blue shrimp. Will the government also assist local shrimp farmers who have long been involved and engaged in this farming?

YANG BERHORMAT MENTERI SUMBER-SUMBER UTAMA DAN PELANCONGAN

ANSWER:

Negara Brunei Darussalam began farming blue shrimp or rostris shrimp since the year 2000. However, by the end of 2017, after experiencing in-breeding issues, the rostris shrimp farming industry in the country faced slow shrimp growth rates and shrimp disease infections that drastically affected farmed shrimp production. Therefore, the Ministry has formulated policies for marine shrimp farming by allowing the farming of vannamei shrimp or white shrimp as an additional species to be farmed in the country since the end of 2019. The policy formulation was carried out comprehensively, taking into account economic, welfare, and biosecurity aspects to fill the gap in raw shrimp supply to processing factories to meet local and overseas market demand.

One of the steps in ensuring the continuity of Rostris Shrimp production in the country is restarted through efforts to attract direct foreign investors to advance the rostris shrimp industry. A Government Linked Company (GLC), a joint venture with foreign investors, is currently conducting Rostris Shrimp hatchery and breeding activities. Rostris Shrimp seeds are sourced from Austria and may also be crossbred with local Rostris Shrimp seeds in the medium and long term. The company's production is expected to increase this year with the addition of a new 12.5-hectare site that has begun operations at the Serasa Fisheries Centre to farm Rostris Shrimp using aquaculture technology based on automation and the use of more environmentally friendly solar photovoltaics, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Rostris Shrimp seed production by the Government Linked Company is currently only sufficient to supply existing ponds at sites owned by the company. However, the company plans to supply Rostris Shrimp seeds to local shrimp farmers once the company successfully increases Rostris Shrimp seed production.