CAGE FISHING AND SUPPLY OF POULTRY, VEGETABLES AND PORK

Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education (a) what is the total number of licences issued by the Primary Production Department for cage fishing to date; (b) to what extent this type of fishing has contributed towards meeting the local demand; and (c) whether the Department has any plan to ensure the constant supply of poultry, vegetables and pork at stable and reasonable prices.

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education (Dr Goh Keng Swee): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Primary Production Department has so far issued 63 licences for marine cage net fish farms covering a total sea area of 35 hectares. These farms are located off the coast of Pulau Ubin, Serangoon, Punggol and Lim Chu Kang.

The estimated annual production of fish from these farms is about 1,500 tonnes or 2% of the total estimated annual consumption of 72,500 tonnes. Thus, marine cage net fish culture's contribution towards meeting the demand for fish has been small. The extent to which the contribution will increase depends on the fish farmers themselves. Marine cage net fish culture is capital intensive and, for this reason, has been used primarily to farm high-valued fish and prawns for sale to restaurants and hotels.

I have outlined in reply to a previous question the Government's current thinking on pig farming. The Government's policy is to encourage liberal trade practices which will facilitate the import of food supplies from the cheapest source. What applies to pig farmers applies equally to producers of poultry and vegetables. They must compete in order to survive.