Workers work at a fish farm in Htantabin township, outside Yangon.
Businessmen who are engaged in fish and prawn farming should adopt new techniques to enhance the sector, said U Win Kyaing, the general secretary of the Myanmar Fish Federation (MFF).
MFF and non-governmental organisations have encouraged fish and prawn breeders to practice new breeding methods and discard the traditional methods. The aquatic resources in Myanmar are on the decline, and will continue to do so unless the breeders participate in practical farming using new methods.
Restricted periods of fishing have already been set and awareness campaigns promoting the new methods are being conducted, it is learnt from MFF.
Myanmar’s weather is favourable for fish and prawn farming. Additionally, Myanmar is rich in aquatic resource when compared to neighboring countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. There are around 400,000 acres of fish and prawn farms, it is learnt from the Fisheries Department. However, the volume of the products produced is 10-12 times less than that of Thailand and Viet Nam. The fisheries export sector annually earns around US$500 million. The target of the fisheries export is to fetch US$700 million.
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