TAIWAN SEA PARTY TO INVEST IN TANJUNG MANIS HALAL HUB

SARIKEI (Malaysia), Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Taiwan-based Sea Party International
Co Ltd (SPI), together with its subsidiaries, will invest RM2 billion (US$588.4
million) in the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub in East Malaysia state of Sarawak.

Under the first phase of its development, SPI will spend RM318 million for
aquaculture activities such as tilapia breeding, chlorella cultivation and
production of halal collagen and gelatin.

The second phase involves production of gelatin from tilapia scales, bones
and skin, organic prawn farming and vendor development programme.

Chief Minister Taib Mahmud Thursday performed the earth-breaking ceremony
for the group's RM30 million research and development centre at Tanjung Manis,
about 30 km from here.

SPI president, Dr Ray Lin, said the ceremony "will be the starting point to
make the halal hub known throughout the world as the producer and distributor of
halal food."

He said SPI has the support of the farming and fishing industries in Taiwan.

"We also have the help from the professors of the National Taiwan Ocean
University and the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology," he
said at the earth-breaking ceremony.

Lin said the group's proposed projects would provide jobs and business
opportunities for the locals.

"They will be given the assistance and training in fish and prawn farming so
that they will be capable of producing good quality halal products.

"Our vendor programmes will help them breed fish and prawn using
biotechnology," he said.

He said the group would be eco-friendly and would maximise productivity with
minimum disturbance to the environment.

Lin said the group's three units -- Sea Party Industry Sdn Bhd, Sea Party
Technology Sdn Bhd and Sea Party Biotech Industry Sdn Bhd -- would focus on feed
milling, producing biotech chicken and eggs and downstream processing
respectively.

"Sea Party Biotech will play a bigger role than the other subsidiaries under
phase one of the development since it is responsible for most of the downstream
processed products.

"It will process tilapia wastes such as bones, skin and scales into collagen
and gelatin in the forms of hard and soft capsules," he said.

Sea Party Technology R&D Sdn Bhd would focuss on transforming the Tanjung
Manis Halal Hub into the world centre for quality halal food products, he said.

Lin was confident with the support and incentives given by both the state
and federal governments, Taiwanese technologies could be localised in order to
upgrade and enhance Malaysia's agriculture and aquaculture sectors.
-- BERNAMA