A friend of mine who is (or was) the Chairman of Perak Aquaculture Association has submitted a general plan to transform and modernise the ornamental fish industry in Perak to the State Government. That started somewhat in late 2002 and has dished out briefings after series of meetings to many in the State Government including the Menteri Besar himself, the Exco for Agriculture, the State Secretary, Director of the State Economic Planning Unit (2 actually) and of course not to mention the State Fisheries Department.
The plan is quite simple - to assist these farmers to use modern means & methods in ornamental fish production by adopting the latest techniques in fish breeding & fish keeping, good farm practices & management, fish health management and other hosts of simple means & methods.
The idea is not only to uphold Perak as the largest producer of ornamental fish in Malaysia, but more towards the largest producer of internationally-accepted quality ornamental fish producer and also the largest net exporter of ornamental fish. The world trade in ornamental fish accounts to more than US 20 billion per year and our share is only about RM 168 million a year. More than 75% of our ornamental fish produce is exported to Singapore and Singapore with their quality control system re-exported our ornamental fish to other parts of the world earning more than triple what the local farmers able to earn. Our farmers & most exporters simply do not have the ability to export live ornamental fish to markets of more than 15 hours away; whilst Singaporean exporters are able to serve markets as far away as 72 hours or more. That's the technical difference between our farmers and those of the Singaporeans.
Most (more than 90%) of the ornamental fish farmers in Perak are operating on illegal land. To induce the modern techniques and to transform them requires additional investment.
When the political tsunami took place in April 2008, all the proposals put foreward by the Chairman remains on the desk of the then political masters. Do the current political and administation masters have a serious look at these proposals? I have no idea at all. As it is, all that i can see is that these ornamental fish farmers are still producing and exporting to Singapore as usual as they have done 30 years ago and this old-aged practices will continue to be observed for the next 30 years or so (if ever their sons will readily and willing inherit their occupation).+
The plan is quite simple - to assist these farmers to use modern means & methods in ornamental fish production by adopting the latest techniques in fish breeding & fish keeping, good farm practices & management, fish health management and other hosts of simple means & methods.
The idea is not only to uphold Perak as the largest producer of ornamental fish in Malaysia, but more towards the largest producer of internationally-accepted quality ornamental fish producer and also the largest net exporter of ornamental fish. The world trade in ornamental fish accounts to more than US 20 billion per year and our share is only about RM 168 million a year. More than 75% of our ornamental fish produce is exported to Singapore and Singapore with their quality control system re-exported our ornamental fish to other parts of the world earning more than triple what the local farmers able to earn. Our farmers & most exporters simply do not have the ability to export live ornamental fish to markets of more than 15 hours away; whilst Singaporean exporters are able to serve markets as far away as 72 hours or more. That's the technical difference between our farmers and those of the Singaporeans.
Most (more than 90%) of the ornamental fish farmers in Perak are operating on illegal land. To induce the modern techniques and to transform them requires additional investment.
When the political tsunami took place in April 2008, all the proposals put foreward by the Chairman remains on the desk of the then political masters. Do the current political and administation masters have a serious look at these proposals? I have no idea at all. As it is, all that i can see is that these ornamental fish farmers are still producing and exporting to Singapore as usual as they have done 30 years ago and this old-aged practices will continue to be observed for the next 30 years or so (if ever their sons will readily and willing inherit their occupation).+
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