ISKANDAR PUTERI – Sg Pulai Sebatang in Pontian should be turned into a new state-backed tourism area to promote the national cockle hub in the district.
While debating Johor’s budget for 2023 at the state assembly today, Hasrunizah Hassan (Pulai Sebatang-Umno) said that cockles too can be promoted as an agro-tourism product by the state.
“It has been announced that the state government had a plan for Pontian to be the nation’s cockle hub and several initiatives towards realising this agenda has been announced in the state’s Budget 2022 tabled in November last year,” said Hasrunizah.
She added that the process to cultivate cockles is unique as the marine creature cannot just be farmed anywhere as it only grew in its natural breeding grounds.
“The locals here called them ‘black gold’ as these shells generate a good source of extra income for them.
“From the process of harvesting the cockles to cleaning them, it is truly a unique process for anybody as it’s something that rarely can be watched.
“These steps can be turned into attractive learning experiences for tourists.
“Hence, I would like to ask the tourism exco to turn Sg Pulai Sebatang into a new tourism area in Johor.”
The cockle farming initiatives were part of the myKomuniti Perikanan programme, which was launched in 2018 by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry to expand the fishing industry.
The Johor government under the leadership of the then menteri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad had allocated RM500,000 for the two-year programme, which started in January this year. – The Vibes, December 6, 2022
