She said aquaculture is an important sub-sector of the Sabah economy where 80 per cent of products like tiger prawns, fish and dried seaweeds are exported to Hong Kong.

She said that Sabah aquaculture products are estimated to increase to 600,000 metric tonnes in 2010 based on the current potential growth.

She said this was suggested at the National Consultative Committee on Trade and Industry meeting chaired by her on Friday.

She said in line with this, a number of strategies and action plans have been suggested in order to turn Sabah into an important aquaculture centre like improving on the basic infrastructure facilities at the aquaculure industrial zone in Kudat, Tawau, Sandakan, Semporna and Lahad Datu or Kunak as well as providing a new fund to breed prawns and seaweeds.

Rafidah said that it also include enhancing the current investment incentives and increasing downstream aquaculture downstream activities.

Rafidah said that the Finance Ministry has also been asked to study the possibility of expanding the loan scope under the Fund For Food programme not only for new projects but also for the existing ones.

She said companies which intend to obtain manufacturing licences for aquaculture projects in the future should adhere to the quality control regulations.

She said the National Consultative Committee agreed that MITI imposed such a condition before the licences were issued to ensure that the licenced projects adhere to the quality control regulations, apart from gaining wide market.

“The condition is that the project should fulfil the quality requirements set by the Agriculture Department, as we do not want any projects which are licensed in Malaysia either by the locals or foreigners, not conforming with the quality and standards and thus could not be marketed,” she said “If they do not fulfil the conditions, we will not give out the licences,” she said.

Rafidah said that currently, the Agriculture Ministry is in the process of gazetting the quality control regulations to make it mandatory.

Apart from that, Rafidah said that the committee also agreed that the Health Ministry, with the cooperation of the state governments, hold a briefing or workshops for those wanting to take up aquaculture projects on the international quality control regulations to ensure that the country’s exports of aquaculture products would not be affected.

She said that aquaculture entrepreneurs needed to be told of the latest conditions imposed by the European Union in the international markets.