High feed prices limiting cage fish farming
KUALA BERANG: The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry has been urged to create a price scheme for fish feed to address the high price of the product that it influences the price of fish in the market.
Hulu Terengganu Member of Parliament Datuk Jailani Johari, who is also Communications and Multimedia Deputy Minister, said the high price of fish feed also caused fish breeders, especially those involved in cage fish farming, to downsize their fish breeding project.
"I have received complaints from fish breeders, especially in the Tasik Kenyir area where the price of fish feed is high so that they do not want to operate on a large scale.
"This situation will hamper the economic growth of the fish breeders,” he told reporters after meeting the fish breeders in Sungai Como, Tasik Kenyir on Thursday.
The Tasik Kenyir cage fish project was carried out in 2007 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan High Impact Project, with the Red Tilapia fish, or 'Red Kenyir', as its major production.
Meanwhile, a breeder, Mohd Zaki Mohd Zain, 58, said he had to abandon his plan to enlarge his fish cage because of the high price of fish feed.
"If there is help from the government, especially in the price of the fish feed pallets, I would not think twice about enlarging my fish cages,” he said. - Bernama