LANGKAWI: The Fisheries Department is expecting its Open Sea Cage Fish Farming Young Agropreneur Project here to generate a gross revenue of between RM2.9 million and RM3.2 million a year.
Fisheries deputy director-general (Development Division), Zulkafli Abdul Rashid said the project which started last year in the waters off Kampung Sungai Menghulu here could produce up to 65 tonnes of fish a year.
“For a start, the farm produce will be sold at the local market but we have plans to market the fish abroad in the long term,” he said when met after inspecting the project here.
He said for a start, three graduates had been entrusted to implement the project involving 146 cages, and the number of participants would be increased to 10 by year end.
“Langkawi has been identified as suitable for cage fish farming and in the first phase, 20,000 hybrid grouper seed (tiger and giant grouper hybrid) will be reared by the three participants, ” he said.
Zulkafli said the project was implemented through a RM2 million allocation under the Langkawi district fisheries development subsector project.
A sum of RM200,000 was utilised last year to upgrade the cages and for necessary equipment while the balance of RM1.8 million would be used this year to acquire fish seed, fish feed and other requirements.
On the selection of participants for the project, he said the candidates would be screened and evaluated from their physical ability and management capability before being recruited for onsite training.
“Only candidates who successfully complete the training will be chosen to participate in the project,” he said while adding that the project was aimed at producing young graduate entrepreneurs with a minimum monthly income of RM5,000. – BERNAMA