KUCHING: Sarawak, through Sea Horse Corporation Sdn Bhd, is exporting inland fish for the first time to Singapore.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the first shipment of tilapia fish from Batang Ai to Singapore weighed about 12 tonnes.
“It is a historic day for the agriculture sector of Sarawak, especially inland fisheries. Today we witness the first shipment of fish from Batang Ai to Singapore.
“This is the product of Borneo Ecofish Sdn Bhd, produced in Batang Ai. We are indeed making a giant step forward in exporting our product,” he said when launching the export of tilapia fish to Singapore at Sea Horse Corporation Sdn Bhd in Pending Industrial Estate here today.
Uggah, who is Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, said Sea Horse was exporting shrimp and fish products overseas.
“Today the fish from Batang Ai is also making its way to Singapore. This is the by-product of the establishment of Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (Statos), which was launched by Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg) on Aug 16,” he said.
According to him, the top management of Borneo Ecofish met ShengSiong Group during the Aug 16 launch in Singapore.
He said the meeting, followed by intensive negotiations between Borneo Ecofish and ShengSiong, had led to the export of tilapia fish to Singapore.
Uggah (centre) with Dr Abdul Rahman (left), (from right) Hii, Uggah and others hold up a sampling of the fish to be exported to Singapore. Photo by Roystein Emmor
Borneo Ecofish is a home-grown tilapia fish rearing and processing company, which presently has 3,000 operational cages.
Its current production capacity is 50 metric tonnes per month and the company hopes to increase the capacity to 100 metric tonnes monthly as 2,000 new cages will be installed by the end of next year.
Borneo Ecofish managing director Thomas Hii said Sea Horse Corporation “has the certification and facilities to export products in a good manner”.
“Our farm is in Batang Ai but our fish is processed here for export to Singapore,” he added.
Earlier, Sea Horse Corporation Sdn Bhd director Lee Choon Kheng said the company recorded a total export of shrimps valued at RM52 million last year.
He added that 49 per cent of the total export went to Australia followed by China at 11 per cent, Japan (10%), United Arab Emirates (6%), Qatar (2%) and others.
“From January to September this year, we exported 200 metric tonnes of shrimps to Singapore,” said Lee.
Among those present were Assistant Ministers of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn and Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail along with former state secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani.