KUCHING: A France-based company is now looking into the possibility of fish farming in the margins of the Bakun hydroelectric dam.French ambassador to Malaysia His Excellency Marc Barety said yesterday this was one of business ventures being looked into as part of initiatives to promote more French investment in Sarawak.

He said French companies are now starting to make their presence in Sarawak, including energy company Alstom which invest in the power generation sector and are involved with the Bakun Dam.

However, the fish farming project will most likely to be conducted under France’s Centre of Agriculture Research for Development (EIARD). According to Barety, this project is one of the prospects that could be developed by the French.

“We would love to propose this to the local authorities,” he told reporters after visiting the Sarawak Museum.

Barety, who was appointed as ambassador to this country last year, was in Kuching for a three-day visit to the state to learn more about Sarawak and the potential business opportunities. He was in Miri on Tuesday.

In Kuching, his itinerary included discussions with Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, State Secretary Datuk Amar Morshidi Abdul Ghani and the State Planning Unit.

The visit was arranged by Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Seri Peter Chin.

According to Barety, the visit was to enable him to make contacts and to learn more about the economic climate in Sarawak before he relays the information to the French business community.

He pointed at the moment, only a few French companies are making their presence in the state. Apart from Alstom, he said the other major company was hotel chain Accor which operates Pullman Hotel in Kuching.

He also said that several French companies still see good prospects in Sarawak’s oil and gas sector.

“There are many business prospects in the state, like oil for instance. We have a number of oil companies interested in coming to Sarawak,” he said.

He added that French companies will also be encouraged to invest in the tourism sector in Sarawak to tap on its potential as an eco-tourism destination, as well as to pull in more tourists from France to the state.

Barety spent about an hour touring the Sarawak Museum. Briefing him during the tour was the state’s Museum Department deputy director Dr Charles Leh.

Also in the delegation were economic counselor Jean-Francois Bijon and honorary French consul in Sarawak, Datin Brigitte Wan Ullok.