Myanmar authorities are planning to establish a fisheries university in order to develop the country’s fishery sector, according to officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery. T h e m i n i s t r y h a s o b t a i n e d a parliamentary approval to open a fisheries university, and it is required to seek fund, foreign technicians and researchers to bring about the emergence of the university project, said Dr Aung Thu, Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery.
Myanmar, which has made efforts to improve the fishery industry through a transition from its traditional livestock practice to a modern one, is implementing an upgrading programme for livestock and fishery in cooperation with the European Union (EU) and German government’s international development and aid organisation GIZ. Signed in November 2016, the five-year programme is supported by the EU and GIZ through a $26.65 million assistance. The primary objective of the programme is to assist Myanmar in manufacturing value-added marine products targeting the European market. It also aims to ensure income growth, local food security and increased job opportunities. Myanmar annually grossed more than $500 million from fisheries exports in the past. But the export earnings came down to $400 million in recent years because of the El Nino phenomenon and failure to upgrade.
