August 4, 2011

Taiwan tops global grouper production value

Taiwan has now been proclaimed as the kingdom of spotted grouper farming after ranking first in the global grouper production value and second in production volume, according to UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistics.

FAO tallies showed that the global output of spotted groupers amounted to 75,000 tonnes valued at US$310 million in 2009. Also that year, Taiwan's output of spotted grouper came to 13,000 tonnes, accounting for 17% of the world's total output, and its production value recorded a higher share of 33% to reach US$104 million.

 Industry sources attributed Taiwan's outstanding performance in the farming of spotted groupers to the island's good weather conditions for the grouper breeding and excellent breeding and farming technologies.

 Leaders of the local grouper farming industry yesterday gathered at the 2011 Grouper Cultural Festival sponsored by the Fisheries Agency of the Council of Agriculture, and recognised the government's efforts in vitalising the grouper farming industry.

Wang Chang-hao, chairman of the Tainan Aquaculture Association, said Taiwan's grouper farming area for the moment shows an increase of around 30% over three years ago, due mainly to the government allowing living fishing boats sailing directly to mainland China and signing the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), which includes grouper among the early-harvest list of items eligible for reduced import duty rates in shipments to the mainland.

Also at the festival, Chen Wen-ke, executive secretary of the Kaohsiung Aquaculture, noted that Kaohsiung's output of spotted groupers used to be equally shared by the domestic and foreign markets, but exports have shot up four-fold since the government launched an export promotion program in 2009.

Huang Tsai-tuan, chairman of the Pingtung Aquaculture Association, said that spotted groupers were swept away when Typhoon Morakok hit southern Taiwan in August 2008, but now the output of groupers has returned to a normal level.

But some farmers called for the government to reinforce domestic marketing and urged locals to consume locally bred spotted groupers as often as they can, given the fact that domestic sales now account for only 20-30% of the island's total output.