Tilapia Farming in China
Editor/ Mohamed Shihab
Promising outlook: Tilapia prices set to rebound amid tight supply.During the first nine months of 2023, global tilapia trade saw a slight downtrend due to tight supply and increased production costs. However, the market is expected to remain positive in terms of trade and supply, and the outlook for a recovery in prices in 2024 is optimistic.
Production
In the third quarter of 2023, tilapia production in China has been considerably affected by increased raw material costs, partly due to a decline in Peruvian fishmeal production. Consequently, tilapia supplies tightened, causing farmgate prices to surge by over 30 percent compared to the previous year. Processors are now faced with the dilemma of either delaying contracts or breaking them to mitigate losses. To offset the expensive feed costs, Chinese farmers have adopted high-density farming techniques, raising concerns about the quality of the tilapia produced. Elsewhere, Indonesia is emerging as the second-largest tilapia producer in Asia. African countries are also investing more in tilapia production, aiming to increase their contribution to the global tilapia supply. Farmers in Kenya and Zimbabwe are making strides in enhancing fingerling production; and launching programs to increase the output of higher-quality tilapia as well as stimulate domestic fish consumption. Meanwhile, Egyptian production is anticipated to exhibit a positive supply outlook for the upcoming year. In Latin America, tilapia supplies in Brazil and Honduras during the third quarter of 2023 were lower than envisaged due to fish mortality problems that could be linked to the impact of climate change or diseases in different regions
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