Brazil aims seafood self-sufficiency

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday (Feb 16) Brazil will soon be self-sufficient in the production of seafood, and will later become a fish exporter.

In a weekly local radio program, Silva mentioned his visit to Brazil's first sea ranch last week, off the coast of Recife in northeastern Brazil.

He said the ranch is expected to reach a production of 10,000 tonnes of fish annually, almost 10 times more than the current annual fish production of the whole country.

Brazilians now eat an average of 7 kilogrammes of fish per capita annually, while in other countries the number could be up to 12 kilogrammes.

At the beginning of the month, Special Secretariat for Aquaculture and Fisheries minister Altemir Gregolin told the media that the President had set aside 1.75 million reais (US$750 million) through 2011 to bolster the country's fishing sector and boost production and export.

Brazil now produces about 1.05 million tonnes of fish each year, generating US$3 billion in annual income, according to official data.

Gregolin said fish output could "easily" jump to 20 million tonnes and generate US$160 billion dollars in income.