Fish trade flourishes in the golden triangle of Southeast Asia.

摘要

This article discusses the flourishing seafood trade within the golden triangle in Southeast Asia. The golden triangle refers to the region between the northern part of Sumatera in Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Generally, fish trade is dominated by a set pattern; Indonesia and Thailand are the main suppliers with Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore as the main target markets. Fish imports from Indonesia and Thailand are mainly fresh/chilled fish and live fish. Affluent Singaporeans consume fish on a daily basis in their diet and the island country is regarded as an important market for imported high value seafood products. Per capita fish consumption is estimated at around 45 kg/year, second highest in the region behind Malaysia. As the local fish production has been hovering only around 10 000 mt annually, the bulk of the supply comes form imports. Around 85 000 mt of various live, fresh and chilled fish and shellfish were imported in 2007 and out of this, almost 50 000 mt consisted of whole fresh/chilled products mainly from Indonesia (22 697mt); Malaysia (14 038 mt) and Thailand (7650 mt). Fish is an important component in the Malaysian diet with per capita consumption at 55 kg, the highest among ASEAN countries. The domestic fish production in 2007 is estimated at 1.5 million mt. Malaysia is a net importer of fishery products mainly to satisfy local consumption needs and additionally for the re-processing industry. In 2007, the country imported 417 089 mt of fishery products, the bulk of which were fresh/chilled whole fish from Indonesia (mainly North Sumatera) and Thailand. In Indonesia, through Medan is the main exporting centre, a significant amount of fish originates form the neighbouring Aceh province. For years after the tsunami hit Aceh, activities in the fisheries sector are almost back to normal. The province's fisheries production from both capture and aquaculture is growing, due to good potential of some species. To take advantage of the export potential of this species, local authorities wish to establish a direct trade link between Aceh and the regional markets particularly with Malaysia. There is also increasing interest from seafood companies from Thailand and Malaysia to invest in fishing and fish processing activities in Aceh. With these developments, fish trade in the golden triangle is poised to expand further.