Fiji spends millions of dollars importing tonnes of shrimps every year when it can be produced here.

Principal Fisheries Officer Shailendra Singh says Fiji is currently importing four to five hundred tonnes of shrimps annually at a cost of $25 million, money should instead can be spent here with the development of the aquaculture sector.

With a growing tourism sector, seafood is a necessary component with tourists wanting to experience Fijian food as well as Fijian culture.

The Ministry of Fisheries is working with the farmers to improve not only the quantity of seafood on offer but the quality as well.

Fisheries Officer Meli Raicebe says aquaculture is one of the best solutions for reducing the import bill and increasing the economic benefits for Fiji’s tourism and agriculture sector.