DILI, 23 november 2022 (TATOLI)– Director General of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF), Acacio Guterres, revealed that MoAF had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kupang Agricultural Polytechnic (POLITAN-Kupang ) to produce tilapia’s food in Timor – Leste.
” The government through the MoAF has the fish ponds for tilapia nurseries in Vikeke Municipality, located in Loihunu Village, and Maliana Municipality, in Loehitu Village, the food costs $ 85,000 per year, with the increase in the cost for tilapia’s food, MoAF has signed the MoU with Politan Kupang last October to formulate the types of food that can be processed to make tilapia food in Timor – Leste in 2023,” General Director of Fisheries Acacio Guterres told TATOLI in his office Comoro, Dili.
Guterres explained that this policy was carried out to reduce the operational costs for tilapia food, and diverted to other agricultural and fisheries programs.
“Timor – Leste has corn, rice, and other local foods that can be processed into tilapia food, therefore we can reduce the cost of buying tilapia food from Indonesia,” he said.
The Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, from the General Directorate of Fisheries every year distributes over one million tilapia seeds to 762 freshwater farmer groups with 2300 members across Timor – Leste.
The aim of distributing tilapia seed to freshwater farmers is to be reared and to revive the family’s economy as well as to contribute to Timor-Leste’s economic growth.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Nelia B.
