Australia to extend technical assistance

Australia to extend technical assistance

Published on Friday, 16 November 2012 16:52

Australia will extend technical assistance to Myanmar in the food production and livelihood sectors, said Irrigation and Livestock Minister Ohn Myint.

A meeting on the implementation was recently held at the Park Royal Hotel in Yangon.

"As the arid central Myanmar region has both agricultural and livestock sectors, there have been frequent shortage of animal food in this area. To solve this problem, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Australian Agency for International Development will provide technical assistance under a four-year project," the minister said.

The project area will cover Ayeyawaddy, Sagaing, Magwe and Mandalay regions, providing technical assistance on agriculture, rice production, fishing and animal food production.

The project also includes training programmes with outstanding trainees qualified to apply for diploma and advanced courses in Australia.

"The Australia government has given similar assistance to Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia. The researchers from these Australian agencies have made surveys in these areas since 2011," said programme coordinator Myo Thura of ACIAR (Myanmar).

He added that Australian agencies will operate fishery farms in Ayeyawaddy region and animal husbandry in central Myanmar.

Myanmar has a 2,832-kilometre-long coastal area, 228,781 square kilometres shallow water, and 486,000 square kilometres dedicated to special economic zones.

The country's total fish production in 2010 was 3.92 metric tonnes with 23 per cent coming from fish farms.

According to the Aquaculture and Word Fisheries under FAO, Myanmar is fourth on the list of aquaculture and world fisheries, and 12^th among countries with fisheries.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2012/11/17/australia-to-extend-technical-assistance/