5
-
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1988
HONG KONG JOINS REGIONAL AQUACULTURE NETWORK
HONG KONG HAS JOINED THE NETWORK OF AQUACULTURE CENTRES IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (NACA) AFTER SIGNING AND RATIFYING THE NACA AGREEMENT EARLIER THIS MONTH.
THE INSTRUMENT OF RATIFICATION FOR THE NACA AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED AND DEPOSITED IN THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION (FAO) IN ROME ON DECEMBER 14.
THE BRUSSELS-BASED MINISTER FOR HONG KONG'S COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND THE MEMBER STATES, MR STEUART WEBB-JOHNSON, SIGNED ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT.
NACA IS A REGIONAL INTER-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION WHICH AIMS ΤΟ PROMOTE AQUACULTURE FISHERIES PRODUCTION THROUGH RESEARCH, TRAINING AND RELATED INFORMATION ACTIVITIES, CO-ORDINATED BY A NETWORK STRUCTURE.
THE ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR (FISHERIES) OF THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT, DR CHRISTOPHER LEE, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) THAT HONG KONG HAD OVER THE PAST DECADE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH NACA WHEN IT WAS OPERATED AS A PROGRAMME UNDER THE FAO AND FUNDED BY THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.
RECONSTITUTED
NACA HAS RECENTLY INTER-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION WITH ITS HEADQUARTERS
THAILAND.
ITSELF
INTO
AN
IN BANGKOK,
AS A FULL MEMBER, HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATION IN NACA'S ACTIVITIES DESIGNED то PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT ON A REGIONAL BASIS, DR LEE SAID.
BENEFIT FROM
AQUACULTURE
"WITH THIS IN MIND, IT IS OUR INTENTION THAT HONG KONG SHOULD MAINTAIN ITS MEMBER STATUS IN THE NACA AFTER 1997," HE ADDED.
ROLE IN ECONOMY
AQUACULTURE HAS IN RECENT YEARS PLAYED AN INCREASING PRODUCTION IN HONG KONG'S FISHERIES AND IN THE RURAL GENERALLY, AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS WILL HELP IN IMPROVING PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY AND REDUCING ANY POSSIBLE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
"THE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES OF NACA IN THESE AREAS WILL THEREFORE BE OF CONSIDERABLE VALUE TO HONG KONG WHICH WILL ALSO DERIVE BENEFIT FROM THE TECHNICAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND OTHER TECHNICAL INFORMATION OFFERED BY NACA," DR LEE SAID.
THE
AT PRESENT, OTHER GOVERNMENTS IN THE ASIAN AND PACIFIC REGION WHICH HAVE SIGNED THE NACA AGREEMENT COMPRISE CHINA, NEPAL, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA AND SRI LANKA.
/6