JERTIH, Aug 12 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) has issued a total of 2,153 Good Aquaculture Practice (MyGAP) certifications, to aquaculture industry players across the country, to date.
Department of Fisheries (DOF) deputy director-general (Management), Yeo Moi Eim, said that the figure reflects a positive and steady growth over the past five years, with notable progress recorded in Terengganu as well.
A total of 45 MyGAP certifications have been awarded in Terengganu to date, including 25 to fish farmers in the Besut district.
“This growth is driven by increasing awareness among aquaculture operators, spurred by initiatives from the DOF, such as workshops, promotional campaigns, and other engagement programmes,” Yeo said to reporters, after the opening ceremony of the seminar on Good Aquaculture Practices (MyGAP) for Food Security, and the presentation of fisheries incentives, at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin’s (UniSZA) Besut Campus, here, today.
It was officiated by the state Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Food Security and Commodities Committee chairman, Datuk Dr Azman Ibrahim.
She explained that MyGAP certification is an accreditation for aquaculture entrepreneurs, who understand and adhere to established standards for producing high-quality, safe-to-eat products.
“The certification is not merely a benchmark of quality, but rather a recognition of the entrepreneur’s social responsibility, ensuring that farm operations do not pollute the environment, and that only safe ingredients are used,” she said.
Meanwhile, Azman said that the Terengganu government is assisting farmers to enable more of them to obtain MyGAP certification, with a target of 500 certified farmers within the next two years.
“To date, land status has been one of the main obstacles for farmers seeking MyGAP certification. The state government has therefore taken significant and intensive measures to address the issue. Our aim is to ensure there are no more farmers cultivating government land illegally. Most of these cases have now been resolved, including areas which have been gazetted under the Aquaculture Industry Zone,” she said.
— BERNAMA
