LOCAL seafood producer and exporter Golden Corporation Sdn Bhd has unveiled plans to boost its output of organic blue shrimp and expand its range of products by early next year.

The company has acquired 200 ha of land at Kampong Penyatang, Tutong, to breed organic blue shrimps and it is expected to increase annual production from 1,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes within two years.

“There are four zones at the shrimp farm and we are hoping to get Zone A fully running and operational by the beginning of next year,” Golden Corporation’s Managing Director Richard Chuang Hsi Shan told the The Brunei Times yesterday.

Chuang said the setting up of the farm is in line with the company’s thrust to increase annual production and to meet increasing demand for its organic shrimps.

The company is now processing more than 60 tonnes of shrimp per month and exports them to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Australia and some Arab countries are now showing interest in importing the shrimp.

However, he said there are were still obstacles such as electricity problems and the inability to pump water from the sea to the farm due to technical problems with the pump house. Nevertheless, he said that the fisheries department under the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) and the Department of Electrical Services (DES) are resolving the issues to ensure that the company is on track with its plans.

He also said that the company is collaborating with local investors to establish Aquagri, a processing plant, to meet the increasing demand for seafood products.

“The establishment of Aquagri is one of our many expansion plans and the company will be providing value-added products which include fish balls, shrimp balls and other related seafood products that will be marketed locally as well as internationally,” said Chuang.

The company also has a tentative plan to open a tuna processing plant at Serasa Port in the next two years which will produce cooked and cleaned tuna loins and cuts as well as finished tuna from the yellow fin tuna that are caught in the deeper parts of Brunei’s waters.

“Our company aims to support the Brunei government’s economic diversification programme away from the dominant oil and gas industry as well as the create of local employment opportunities,” added Chuang.

The expansion plans will see an increase of local employment of 200 people to 500 in the next two years, he said.

Golden Corp is Brunei’s leading producer of seafood-related products and is the first company to produce organic feed and breed organic blue shrimps.

It operates a multi-purpose marine resources processing and business centre which is the only fully-integrated producer of seafood products in Brunei. The facility, which commenced operations in June 2012, is the result of collaboration between Semaun Marine Resources Sdn Bhd and Golden Corporation.

The company operates its own fishing fleets, hatchery, shrimp farms and processing plant which produce frozen fish, shrimp, surimi and fish oil.

Golden Corp also provides assistance and technical know-how to local shrimp and fish aqua-farmers.

15.1.2015

Source: The Brunei Times