Tilapia;
The Search for a Sustainable Model to Balance Between
Environment,People and Economy.
Yedod and Israel Snir – NeveEitan Fish Farm, Israel 38885, Inversiones miel - Honduras
During the pastdecade, World Tilapia production hasexperienced impressive and continues growth mainly in Asia and mostly by China.
Same years and in parallel,very meaningful production scenarios and projects developed away from the Far East, closer to the main export market in the USA, withsignificant impacts on the industry- beyond the numbers and statistics.
The Seafood market as a whole is evolving and we are witnessing extreme changes in the basic characteristics of the demand. The end client today is more educated, expects the story behind the product,and has more ways to channel his requirements upwards, through the retailer or wholesaler, to the grower.
Today, thebig Tilapia exporters must give equal emphasis onproduction volumes, astoo adopting more of a holistic approach in an attempt to find the right balance between environmental, social, and economicimpacts of their activity.
Driven by the increased USA market, Tilapia consumption per capita has made an impressive growth, however with limited impact on the overall “USA seafood consumption” per capita – which implies Tilapia is replacing other marine species.
Based on this very rapid unprecedented production and market increase worldwide, FAO, public and private research institutes, potential investors, are all trying to understand and predict the tendencies and the real overall potential for thecontinuing development of the Tilapia industry. What are the limiting factors?How sustainable Is this growth?
Many years have passed since Tilapia was first introduced to the Boston seafood show in 1979;todayit is covering half of the floor. Willthe same trend continue? How much more Tilapia will be needed? Where and how will Tilapia be produced? Which products? In what cost?
All those recent years the focus was on fast production growth and it took its toll. Between others the apparent “victims” arethe environment, the product quality and industry wholesomeness, the people involved, communities, and unfortunatelythe economy. Many big projects ended bankrupted and many single small farmers and farms lost control and disappeared. On the market side Tilapia is still suffering from low image reflecting low prices and more economical constrains.
To increase production and develop stable demand it takes a balanced approach which requires going through each of these seven principalcomponents, in the order they appear and simoutaniasly.
1. Water & environment
2.Financing
3. Animals& Husbandry
4. People & Management
5. Facilities & Technology
6. Feed& Raw materials ingredients
7. Market the story behind the product
The challenge and the mission are to find the right balance between all of these factors, or as the term is often used today, to make this industry more ´´Sustainable´´.
The question for the grower today is, how much more sustainable is your competition?
Examples - Salmon is mainly being produced by two rich countries and consumed worldwide by the richer upper-classmarkets; American Catfish is being produced by few farmers in Southern USA and most of it is consumed right there; Theemerged Vietnam Catfish industryis producing most Pangasius sold worldwide, little is eaten locally; Shrimp is produced mainly in poor countries by poor people who can’t afford to consume this product themselvesbut only to satisfy rich exclusive markets…
Tilapia is a verydifferent story;
Tilapia is being produced all over the globe, mainly by “low income food deficit countries”
Tilapia is being consumed all over the globe in various socioeconomics groups, levels, with no distinction.
Tilapia on one hand has the potential to secure food availability for the poor nations and on the other hand to improve commercial balance for better and stable developing economies.
And even more so when the entire world economy, nations, societies, are undergoing a scaring food scarce warning.
It is a unique historically dangerous combination between climatologically changes, world politics, social unrest and real shortage due to increase in demand.
Tilapia, like any other live protein domestic production is competing with human being for same plants production – maize, soya, wheat and others.
In order to fulfill its nutritional expectations and future role – Tilapia (and other animals) must be produced on byproducts conversion to high quality animal proteins from raw materials not suited anymore for human consumption.
It is only then, that Tilapia will become an indispensible food staple for the low income societies to balancetheir nutrition and at the same time available for the white tablecloth markets.
In mypresentation I am discussing the potentials and the limits for the Tilapia industrycontinuous growth and market expansion. This based on one little country’sexperience that should serve as a model for the potential impact on manyother communities and societies.