EXPERT T●PIC ing steadily, hatcheries are also expanding to provide fry for the grow-out farms and some of the biggest hatcheries now have the capability to produce one million fry per day. At present the main tilapia producing countries are China, Egypt, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Honduras. There are large hatcheries in all these countries but the biggest farms are vertically integrated units which produce their own fry to minimise biosecurity issues and ensure supply of fry. Regal Springs is one of the world’s largest tilapia businesses, producing over 70,000 metric tonnes in 2010 in several countries around the world. ACI in Costa Rica is one of the largest individual farms. Both companies export all their production as fresh fillets to the USA. Biomar is just completing its brand new high tech feedmill very close to the ACI farm to meet the growing demand for tilapia feed in Central America.
Future markets With the tilapia market firmly established and growing in the USA and globally, future challenges for
tilapia producers will be to find new markets and to overcome stiff competition from Pangasius species (Basa and Tra) imported from Vietnam. This is especially true in European markets which is still seen as a new high value market for tilapia producers around the world. Spain imports 20 percent of the EU total and Poland 33 percent but these are mainly frozen tilapia from China with demand fuelled by the low prices reflecting the current economic downturn throughout the EU. Rapidly expanding importers of tilapia are Russia and the Middle East, but as China becomes far wealthier, consuming more of its own tilapia domestically, price increases and possible shortages of tilapia as an export commodity are possible. Many countries are ramping up production to fill this perceived new demand. These are Vietnam, Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt and Malaysia, where government support is helping to drive this new wave of expansions. The main growth areas are in value added products particularly in the producing countries so increasing profitability, and filling new and growing markets. Tilapia’s future is rosy. More Information: Eric Roderick, FishGen Tel: +44 7973 135609 Email: sales@fishgen.com Website: www.fishgen.com
Extruder OEE for the Production of Fish Feed
AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KG, Dieselstrasse 5-9, D-21465 Reinbek / Hamburg, Phone: +49 40 727 71 0, Fax: +49 40 727 71 100 info@amandus-kahl-group.de, www.akahl.de
Active ingredients for healthy fish BENEO-Animal Nutrition capitalizes on BENEO‘s unique expertise in the food world. It offers a broad range of ingredients from a natural source that improve the nutritional and technological value of fish food. It covers speciality products such as vegetable proteins, functional carbohydrates and prebiotics from chicory. www.BENEO-An.com Connecting nutrition and health
July-August 2012 | International AquaFeed | 19