A Brunei aquaculture company has turned to seedlings because shipping to China is still prohibited

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

As freight passage into China for its farmed fish remains restricted owing to COVID-19, Chinese aquaculture firm Hiseaton has shifted its focus to creating a hatcheries business in Brunei.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Guangxi-based Hiseaton Foods, runs Brunei's first large-scale fish farming operation.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to expand its operations, and it had been working for years to acquire entry to the Chinese market.

COVID-19, on the other hand, has led the company to refocus due to a ban on exports.

 

"There is no export container departure from Brunei due to the second COVID wave," Hiseaton Fisheries Sdn Bhd CEO Cherry informed SeafoodSource.
"However, the good news is that we can now manufacture fish [Barramundi/seabass] fingerlings on a monthly basis, and we are the only company in Brunei that can do so."

COVID-19 has issued a challenge to the company, which was founded in June 2016 and became Brunei's first large-scale fish farming venture.
Due to a dearth of fingerling imports, the company's decision to establish a hatchery has proven to be a wise one.

"Because no fingerlings may be transported into Brunei, several local farming enterprises have already closed or suspended operations," Wei explained.

 

However, selling to China was an important part of Hiseaton's initial business plan, which was thwarted by COVID-19.

When asked if domestic sales could replace exports, Wei stated, "The mature fish market in Brunei is very, very small."
In Brunei waters, Hiseaton is raising golden pomfret (pompano), goldeneye perch (Barramundi), and several types of groupers, all of which are highly prized in China.

 

Brunei, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with which China has a free trade agreement, has been working to develop an aquaculture industry in recent years by partnering with Chinese and international companies.
In 2021, Hiseaton has 158 net cages in Brunei's coastal waters, ranging in size from 6,000 cubic metres of water to 24 built of HDPE [high density polyethylene].