Shrimp Culture in Brunei
The fisheries Industry in the country has been identified as one of the potential sectors that could contribute towards the diversification of the national economy from the oil and gas sector.
One of the activities that has been developed in the Fisheries Industry is aquaculture and the main activities in the aquaculture industry so far is breeding fish in floating cages and breeding shrimps in ponds.
According to Senior Fisheries Officer Awg Sabri, aquaculture industry, especially in shrimp breeding ponds was introduced in the country in early 1994.
The several local entrepreneurs were involved in the sector since its establishment, with several areas being identified for the project including Pengkalan Sibabau in Mukim Mentiri in the Brunei-Muara District and Kampong Telisai in the Tutong District. The types of shrimps bred are Rostries and Tiger prawn.
At present, there are only 13 entrepreneurs involved in the shrimp breeding industry in the country, which covered a total area of 230 hectares, including 50 hectares in Pengkalan Sibabau Phase 1, another 50 hectares in Pengkalan Sibabau Phase 2, and the rest in the Tutong District.
In 2005, the production of shrimps is at 394 metric tonnes with a total value of about B$3 million, which were sold in the local market as well as exported to overseas market like USA, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. With a growing demand for shrimps from the global market, the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources is gearing up its efforts to develop the shrimp breeding industry to increase production to meet the increasing demand.
The Fisheries Department has identified a new land area of 459, hectares to be developed into shrimps production area as part of the ongoing effort to upgrade the industry.
The land is located in Kg Telisai in Tutong. The Fisheries Department has also made open tender to members of the public especially local entrepreneurs as well as those from abroad. The proposal document has been on sale since December last year and the business proposal must be submitted to the department before April 25 this year.