THE EASTERN CAPE Development Corporation (ECDC) is supporting plans for an abalone farm at Qolora in the Wild Coast area of the province. The first phase of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) under way. The EIA is required by law and will establish whether the project is environmentally feasible before any technical applications or licences can be applied for. A background information document states that the main objective of the project would be exporting the shellfish through a community partnership with the private or public sector. The document was prepared by Grahamstown-based consultants, Coastal and Environmental Services (CES). There is a high demand for abalone, mostly for export to Asia, where 80 percent of the world's abalone production is consumed, according to the document. ECDC corporate investments manager Don Maclean stressed the project was still in the pipeline and about eight permits were needed to be approved if the EIA was positive. It was an "environmentally sensitive development" and it would take about a year to get the project off the ground. Perlemoen exports would only follow in about four years while the juveniles grew to a marketable size. He said the Qolora community would have 25 percent ownership of project underwritten by the Development Bank. According to the CES document, the project would create a sustainable base for the Qolora community who were the custodians of the land where a suitable site had been identified. "There is a real hunger for a project like this on the Wild Coast." The 26,4 hectare site, which meets the project's environmental and physical needs, is situated north-east of the Kei River. It lies within 50m of a rocky shore, is behind the primary coastal dune system and is said to be large enough to increase production to 200 tons per annum. It is proposed that perlemoen juveniles will be initially purchased from other farms and grown in tanks.