October 22, 2024

Skretting unveils major investment plans for Japan

During a recent visit to Japan, Skretting CEO Bastiaan van Tilburg announced plans to invest EUR 10 million (US$10.8 million) to EUR 15 million (US$16.2 million) in the company's Imari plant, aimed at strengthening the supply system for Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) feed and improving the overall quality of feed, AquaFeed reported.

The focus will also extend to feed produced for the yellowtail market, another key area for Skretting in Japan.

Van Tilburg also revealed that Skretting Japan is working toward obtaining certification under the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) feed standard. This certification is expected to help position Japanese farmed fish for export markets.

Japan remains a significant market for Skretting, and the company is focusing on providing sustainable aquafeed solutions to address challenges such as rising raw material costs and climate change. The goal is to enhance the profitability of Japan's aquaculture sector.

On September 30, 2024, Japan witnessed its first-ever domestic harvest of Atlantic salmon, a significant milestone for the country's aquaculture industry. The salmon was raised in a RAS facility located in Shizuoka Prefecture. This facility was built and operated by Norwegian firm Proximar Seafood in 2022.

Skretting maintains a strategic partnership with Proximar, and since the project's inception, Skretting's global team has collaborated closely with the RAS team at Skretting Japan. The collaboration focuses on providing comprehensive quality monitoring services. This first successful harvest represents an operational achievement for both Skretting and Proximar.

"We are currently contributing 26 million meals of seafood a day, and it is essential that we have a protein supply system in place that can meet the needs of 2050, when the world's population is expected to reach 10 billion," Van Tilburg stated.

-      AquaFeed