S'pore eyes Myanmar's fish

S'pore eyes Myanmar's fish

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore, which imports most of its food, wants to participate in Myanmar's burgeoning fishing industry, the government said Friday.

The Trade Development Board (TDB) and Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) will lead 13 local seafood companies on a mission leaving Sunday to explore commercial opportunities in Myanmar, the TDB said in a statement.

"The objectives of the mission are to enable Singapore seafood companies to identify and assess new sourcing alternatives and to explore trading and investment opportunities in fishing related businesses," it said.

Singapore imports most of its fish products from Malaysia, the South Pacific and Thailand with only a tiny two percent or 3,000 tons coming from Myanmar.

According to the TDB, the Myanmar government has plans to raise its national acreage for fish farming by 32 percent from 49,200 acres to 65,000 acres by 2003.

It also intends to double the prawn farming acreage to 120,000 acres by 2003.