September 19, 2007

 

Thailand eyes Nile Tilapia as next major seafood export

 

 

Thailand has high potential in Nile Tilapia production, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives said.

 

Consumption of the fish is rising, especially in the US, Europe, and Russia, the ministry said. At home, Thailand is also promoting domestic consumption of the fish to replace more expensive imported fish.

 

Thailand currently produces some 200,000 tonnes of Nile Tilapia per year.

 

The Fisheries Department plans to raise the national production capacity by 10 percent as part of their efforts to expand export markets. More than 70 percent of the production is earmarked for domestic consumption.

 

However, a lack of breeding stock and high fishmeal costs may bar the way towards development of fish farms.

 

The Ministry suggests farmers come together to set up fish meal plants to minimise costs.

 

The Ministry also suggests producers target Thai and western restaurants and place focus on large fish farms that require more sophisticated cultivation techniques.

 

This would avoid tilapia having to compete head-on with other types of freshwater fish.

 

China is the top exporter of Nile Tilapia in the world, exporting whole frozen Tilapia, frozen fillets and frozen prepared fillets.

 

Other rivals include countries in the Central and South America, particularly Ecuador and Honduras, where their Nile Tilapia exports at present rank second after China.

 

These countries have invested substantially in expanding Nile Tilapia farming to replace their disease-prone shrimp exports.

 

The Latin American countries, in particular, have an advantage in their relative proximity to the US, the country that imports the most Nile Tilapia in the world.