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Halim Mazmin Unit Invests RM1.5mil to Double Fish Output
Langkawi Sea Farm Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of shipping group Halim Mazmin Bhd, is doubling the size of its fish farm production in the waters of Langkawi at the cost of RM1.5 million this year.
Its fish farm has six netted-ponds or open sea cages capable of holding 50 tonnes of fish.
The farm operator Afian Ahmad told visiting journalists last week that the farm current turnover of some RM700,000 worth of fish per year would increase to RM800,000 per month by 2006.
Langkawi Sea Farm raises mainly giant and tiger garoupa (kerapu) for the Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thai markets and some pampano (bawal mas) and sea bass (siakap putih) for the Singapore market.
It is not yet able to cater to the Japanese market that demands big single order of 50 tonnes, Afian said.
The fishes are shipped alive for up to eight days to keep them fresh for making sushi and sashimi, he said, adding that each shipment currently requires a minimum of 18 tonnes of fish.
'The kerapu are harvested when they are about two years old, weighing 10kg to 15kg each, and could fetch about RM50 to RM60 per kg. The fry, costing RM15 to RM24 each, come mostly from Taiwan.
'The bawal mas are harvested when they weigh about 5kg or less than three years old,†he said.
Afian also said the farm now employed 13 workers. It has an executive-cum-specialist named Watcharin Boonyakarn, who used to worked for a Norwegian fish farm that raised salmons.
Previously, the farm had used the services from Greece, the Malaysian Fisheries Department and Universiti Sains Malaysia.
The seven-year old Langkawi Sea Farm had RM6 million in start-up capital. Five years ago Afian and two other ex-army personnel, Sabri Mat Ali and Kepten (retired) Abdul Rahman Din, had come in as joint venture partners-cum-operators.
Langkawi 09/05/2005
