Hjh Hasnah Ibrahim made the call to local shrimp culture operators yesterday in response to the article, "Realising potential of local shrimp industry," published by The Brunei Times on November 8, 2008.
For local farmers to compete in the global shrimp farming sector, it is necessary for farmers to implement a profitable production model based on a niche product that commands premium prices, the director said in a letter to The Brunei Times.
"They must also implement more efficient production technologies that reduce costs and leverage (on) the strengths of Brunei: a well educated and bilingual workforce, excellent infrastructure and low energy costs," she added.
According to BruneiDirect, the Fisheries Department acknowledged the causes of the competitive disadvantages faced by the country's shrimp farmers was the switch in production of Rostris (Litopenaeus stylirostris) from a similar shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, but said that there were other factors involved which needed to be considered.
Shrimp Farmers Must Come Together in Brunei
BRUNEI - Shrimp farmers must cooperate to reduce fragmentation and improve the efficiency of the industry in order to expand and reach economies of scale, said the director of the Fisheries Department.