Dr. Farshad Shishehchian, President, AAN, said the move will help in
capacity building in the entire Asia. “Asia is the biggest player in
the area of aquaculture and the scene of the largest aquaculture
production,” Dr. Farshad said. He stated that AIT and AAN will jointly
engage in organizing training programs and certification. “In 10 years,
the aquaculture industry will be larger than the poultry industry, and
this suggests the need for training,” he added.
Describing AIT as a “very strong brand name in Asia,” Dr. Farshad said
in Asia, everyone knows AIT, and hence it is a perfect place for
offering extension programs.
The MoU signing ceremony event was witnessed by H.E. Ms. You Ay,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kingdom of Cambodia,
and Mr. Erminio da Silva Pinto, First Secretary, Embassy of
Timor-Leste. The signing of the MoU on 11 March 2011 coincided with the
“VIV Asia” exhibition being held at Bangkok International Trace and
Exhibition Center (BITEC), where AAN is participating as an exhibitor.
AAN is a regional network aimed at sharing practical technical
information and knowledge about aquaculture.
The AIT President stated that the institute will focus on promoting
sustainable practices in aquaculture. “AIT is committed to capacity
building and this collaboration is important since it focuses both on
capacity building as well as sustainability,” he added. Aquaculture is
an important issue and AIT hopes to contribute in capacity building in
both Cambodia and Timor Leste, Prof. Irandoust added.
Others who attended the ceremony included Ms. Montana Piromnim,
Foreign Affairs Officer, Department of Fisheries, Thailand; Dr.
Kriengkrai Satapornvanit, Project Leader – Sustaining Ethical
Aquaculture Trade (SEAT), Global Kasetsart University, and former AIT
Faculty; and Ms. Arlene N. Satapornvanit, Ph.D student at University of
Stirling, and AIT alumna.
AIT was represented by Dr. Jonathan Shaw, Director, AIT Extension; Dr.
Wenresti Glino Gallardo, Coordinator, Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources
Management Field of Study at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and
Development (SERD); Dr. Pritam Krishna Shrestha, Head, External
Relations and Communications Office (ERCO); Md. Zakir Hossain, Head,
Agriculture, Resources and Environment, AIT Extension; Dr. Lionel
Dabbadie and Dr. D.N.Das, visiting faculty; and Ms. Tiamkare
Thitithamtada, Program Officer, ERCO.
