THE Minister of Livestock and Fisheries,
Brigadier-General Maung Maung Thein, has welcomed the establishment
of an organisation to promote the prawn farming industry.
Brigadier-General Maung Maung Thein was speaking at a ceremony
held at the Yangon’s Yuzana Garden Hotel on May 4 to mark
the formation of the Myanmar Prawn Entrepreneurs’ Association.
“The main purposes of this association will be to foster
cooperation among members to ensure the economic success of the
industry, to distribute information about prawn farming and to
advise members about government policies and regulations and the
world market situation,” Brigadier-General Maung Maung Thein
said.
He said the association would play in a vital role in the development
of the prawn farming sector by enabling closer contacts among
individuals and businesses involved in all aspects of the sector.
The minister called on the association to adhere to good aquaculture
practices to ensure that the industry embraced sustainable and
responsible methods of prawn farming, as laid down in guidelines
established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.
The ceremony was also addressed by the chairman of the Myanmar
Fisheries Federation, U Htay Myint, who said the association’s
objectives would include producing adequate of prawns for the
domestic and export markets.
The association would also be involved in research activities
aimed at producing high quality products for export markets, he
said.
The chairman of the MPEA’s 25-member executive committee,
U Hla Maung Shwe, said stronger contacts among those involved
in supplying food, equipment and technology to the prawn farms
would contribute to the growth of the industry.
A lack of contact among the various businesses involved in the
industry had hampered its progress, he said.
U Hla Maung Shwe also called on the industry to focus attention
on developing high quality prawn food so that the industry did
not have to rely on imported products.
The MPEA, which so far has about 250 members, was established
with a K29.7 million fund donated by 38 well-wishers.
