Fiji has shown interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration with China in ecological conservation, eco-friendly aquaculture, and fish farming to boost development in its fisheries sector.
The Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka expressed this while visiting Ninghai Village in Ningde, Fujian Province yesterday.
Ninghai, located in the Lumen Port area, is home to 300 families with over 1000 total residents, who depend on marine aquaculture as their primary source of income.The village also receives tourists which supplements villagers’ income.
The Prime Minister said the well-operated and successful fish farms in the Lumen Bay area of Ningde are an example of a well tailored poverty alleviation project in Fujian that improves community livelihoods, contributes to the economy and nation as a whole.
PM Rabuka said Fiji’s coastal communities and fisheries sector could greatly benefit from learning more and implementing marine fish farming projects, emphasising the need for closer collaboration and cooperation with the Peoples Republic of China.
Prime Minister Rabuka highlighted that such collaboration would enhance sustainable aquaculture practices, marine and ecological conservation, knowledge-sharing and capacity building between the Fiji and China fisheries sectors.
The Prime Minister was informed that Ninghai Village has transformed from its previously impoverished state to a “now thriving community with its annual collective economic income exceeding ¥1 million.”
Ninghai village strives to be the top tourism village in Ningde City with plans to invest more than ¥17.5 million into building visitor service centers, recreational facilities and lodging establishments, to name just a few.
Fiji’s fisheries sector aims to become more resilient, productive, and sustainable, contributing to livelihoods, improving living standards, community development, food security and the nation’s economic growth.
