TERAJU Boosts Mahseer Fish Breeding Industry To Generate High-value Economic Potential

JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- The initiative to empower the high-value Mahseer, or Ikan Kelah, fish farming industry under the Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (TERAJU) has proven effective in pioneering a sustainable, competitive national freshwater aquaculture ecosystem chain with high income potential. 

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the commercial Mahseer fish farming project, which began in 2022 with a budget of RM2.2 million, is now showing significant spillover benefits that extend beyond the entrepreneurship sector.

He said that although the five-year project focuses on the Mahseer fish segment, its spillover benefits now include strengthening academic research in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and developing local entrepreneurs.

“Among the notable successes is research through the strategic collaboration with UTM, which has been fully leveraged by the student community," he said at a press conference for the High-Value Kelah Industry Empowerment Impact Recognition through Innovation and Integrated Living-Lab Ecosystem event at the UTM Dusun Skudai campus here today.

Also present were TERAJU chief executive officer Junady Nawawi and a board member representing UTM Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Abd Latif Saleh.

Akmal Nasrullah said mahseer farming requires a maturation period of two to two-and-a-half years to yield optimal returns.

However, to ensure stable cash flow for entrepreneurs during the maturation period, the programme also introduces a tilapia side-farming model to ensure faster yields.

“In terms of economic potential, the programme targets returns that can generate up to RM6,000 per month for entrepreneurs while current average earnings are around RM4,000 per month,” he added.

Akmal Nasrullah said the TERAJU initiative is not only about empowering individual entrepreneurs but also successfully strengthening the local aquaculture industry ecosystem for the long term.

Meanwhile, TERAJU Business Services and Entrepreneurship senior director Mohd Najib Jaafar said the project, which began in 2022 and is scheduled to end in 2027, involves 15 participants from Johor’s B40 economic group.

He added that the RM2.2 million allocation covers the construction of pond infrastructure, procurement of high-quality Mahseer fish fingerlings, and developing the capabilities of local hatcheries so entrepreneurs will not have to rely on external fingerling supplies in the future.

Elaborating on the project’s technical details, Akmal Nasruallah said each participant is allotted three fish ponds out of a total of 45 ponds developed through strategic collaborations with UTM and industry partners.

He said that in terms of projected returns, the first three years of implementation are now entering the harvest period for 2026 and 2027, with the market selling price of Mahseer projected to reach between RM400 and RM600 per kilogram.

“We want to develop an aquaculture programme that involves premium-priced fish which can potentially yield greater returns for participants or the B40 group, where we aim for incomes to exceed the poverty line in the country, which is around RM2,500 a month,” he said.

“We want to develop an aquaculture programme involving premium-priced fish that can provide higher returns to participants, including the B40 group. We want the income to exceed the national poverty line, which is around RM2,500 per month,” he said.

For participant Md Rashid Musa, 44, the initiative not only opens a new chapter in modern aquaculture but also successfully transforms the economic landscape of the target group through comprehensive technical guidance.

He said the breeding project, which involves 1,500 fish across three ponds he manages, is now showing positive progress in the commercialisation phase.

“The demand is very high from outside, especially Singapore, because this fish meat is exotic, while the ongoing guidance from the UTM team ensures every aspect of management runs smoothly, even though this field was initially quite difficult to venture into,” he said.

-- BERNAMA