UCAPAN DATO NOH OMAR

WELCOMING ADDRESS BY

Y.B. DATO’ NOH BIN HJ.OMAR

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND AGRO-BASED INDUSTRY MALAYSIA

“ASIAN PACIFIC AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW 2009 (APA 2009)

AND MALAYSIAN INTERNATIONAL SEAFOOD EXPOSITION 2009(MISE 2009)”

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 NOVEMBER 2009.

Y.A.B.Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin bin Haji Mohd Yassin,

His Excellency, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Mr. Roy Palmer

President-Elect,

Asian-Pacific Chapter of World Aquaculture Society,

Y.Bhg. Dato’ Mohd Mokhtar Ismail

Secretary-General,

Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry,

Dato’ Junaidi bin Che Ayub

Chairman, National Organising Committee, APA2009 and MISE2009,

Director General of Fisheries, Malaysia,

Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners,

Distinguished Guests and Speakers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bismillahiirrahmanirrahim

Assalamualaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakahtuh, and a very good morning.

First of all on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Malaysia and the Government of Malaysia, let me express my appreciation for being able to be here today to welcome all of you to the Asian Pacific Aquaculture Conference and Trade Show 2009 (APA 2009); and the Malaysian International Seafood Exposition 2009 (MISE 2009). Selamat Datang and Welcome to Malaysia.

Today, we are very honoured to have His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia to be with us to grace the occasion despite his busy schedule.

Your presence, Tan Sri is definitely a testimony of how much importance the Malaysian government puts on the fisheries sector especially the aquaculture industry. I would also like to thank Mr Roy Palmer, the President-Elect, Asian-Pacific Chapter of World Aquaculture Society (WAS), distinguished speakers and exhibitors from all over the world for being with us here today. Let me take this opportunity also to express my appreciation to all of you gathered here for your support and time taken to attend the conference, trade show and exposition.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is indeed a great honour for Malaysia to be hosting these two great events for the first time, and for that I would like to thank especially World Aquaculture Society (WAS) for having chosen Malaysia as the host for APA2009. APA2009 is an international aquaculture conference and trade show for Asia Pacific region that includes major aquaculture issues in the region. I am very glad to inform all of you that these series of conferences have been held every two years in the past in cities such as Hanoi (Vietnam), Bali (Indonesia) and Bangkok (Thailand). We are very much honoured to be amongst these important cities in hosting these world level aquaculture conference. Participants attending these three days conference and trade show will see first hand the rapidly expanding fisheries industry in Malaysia.

MISE2009 on the other hand, showcases the seafood industry in Malaysia and includes buyers’ meetings. MISE 2009 in collaboration with APA 2009 will conduct a technical session on ‘Marketing and Trade’ which will include certification and supply chain. To increase fish production and to improve the National Trade Balance of the country, the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry wants to create successful entrepreneurs by the year 2010. The initiative taken by the Department includes numerous seminars and research to manage and develop the fisheries sector of the country in a sustainable, dynamic and competitive manner based on scientific information and quality services.

APA and MISE 2009 will also be an avenue for the public to know more on the development of aquaculture and seafood not only in Malaysia but also in the region. It is also a platform for the world and local market to display their products and conduct business matching.

Technical presentations from international experts, successful farmers, recognized technician and other professionals on aquaculture is the other main focus of the APA2009. While, the MISE2009 exposition is divided into 4 clusters, mainly: export companies dealing in fisheries products, private companies in the Growth Triangle Region of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, Small-to-Medium-size-Entrepreneurs and the marketing and services companies catering to the aquaculture industry.

The Malaysia seafood industry is under-going a planned, responsible and sustainable programme that will further enhance Malaysia’s fisheries portfolio and MISE2009 is a platform to promote the strengths and realize all the agenda that is set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry through the Department of Fisheries. Malaysia currently is gearing all her efforts to ensure all fisheries products meet the requirements of the international standards through upgrading the farming system and upstream activities.

Through effective management of the sea resources and aquaculture, the seafood and aquaculture products’ export will continue to offer around RM2.5 billion yearly and is expected to rise to RM6.2 billion by the year 2010 based on the Good Aquaculture Practices and Post harvest handling. It is hoped that these strategic developments will position Malaysia in the high quality and safe fisheries product segment.

The Director General of Fisheries, Malaysia, Dato’ Junaidi bin Che Ayub will give one of the key note address entitled ‘Trends and Prospects in Malaysia Aquaculture’ as to highlight Malaysia current aquaculture industry situation as well as to promote aquaculture investment in Malaysia.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are happy to note the very good response from the stake holders. We have received more than 500 abstracts for the conference from 37 participating countries and with more than 100 attendance confirmation by foreign and local exhibitors for the two events. Among the foreign companies, the largest group with 12 booths is the Fish Breeding Association of Taiwan. Other exhibitors are from Australia, Belgium. India, Indonesia, Singapore, Canada, Thailand, Norway, Turkey, Mexico, UK and USA. This is a testimony of the importance of aquaculture to Malaysia and the Asia Pacific region.

Let us sit together for the next three days and learn from each other. This is also a golden opportunity for all of us in the fisheries industry especially in the aquaculture and fish processing industry who come from different parts of the world to network and to get to know each other better.

Please take this opportunity to gain knowledge on the recent advances in aquaculture technologies, products, and markets and at the same time do not hesitate to explore the hospitality, culture and tropical beauty of Malaysia. I would like also for all of you to take the opportunity to join in the field trips planned at the end of the conference, whereby you will be given the choice to see tilapia, marine shrimp and ornamental fish farms or our Freshwater Fish Research Station in Glemi Lemi, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, south of Kuala Lumpur. Our Freshwater Fish Research Station is amongst the biggest in South-east Asia.

To our foreign guests, I hope that in the next few days you will make time to see for yourself the true vibrant city of Kuala Lumpur, often referred to as ‘The Garden City of Lights’ and as ‘The Vision City’. Of course, if you could stay longer, you would be able to see more of the beauty of different parts of Malaysia.

Once again, I would like to welcome and thank you for being here in Malaysia. I hope you will have a successful deliberation in your conference and a lot of information exchanged during the sessions and exhibitions. I also hope you will have an enjoyable and fruitful stay in Malaysia.

Wabillahitafik walhidayah wassalamualaikumwarahmatullahiwabarakahtuh.

Thank you.