October 28, 2019

EU grants US$44.4 million to boost aquaculture development in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific

The EU-funded five-year FISH4ACP programme will invest in value chains to stimulate inclusive growth, bolster food security and minimise impacts on the marine environment.

The agreement was signed at the Our Ocean 2019 conference held in Oslo, Sweden by the EU, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The FISH4ACP programme aims to increase economic revenue and social welfares, collaborating with 10 value chains in 10 ACP countries. At the same time, the programme will minimise the effects aquaculture may present to the environment and marine wildlife, while also focusing on small-scale fisheries – for its potential to provide economic and social benefits especially for women.

The programme will support aquaculture and fisheries value chains in Africa. These include inland and marine fisheries that produce catfish, small pelagics, oyster, shrimp and tilapia value chains.

For the Caribbean, the focus is on the production of Dominican Republic and Guyana's mahi-mahi and seabob shrimp stocks. 

For the Pacific, tuna fisheries around the Marshall Islands will be the main focus. This is a sector that been identified to have great potential for export to the European and US markets.

ACP countries' aquaculture production rose to 790,000 tonnes in 2016 from 50,000 tonnes in 1990, but it only accounts for 1% of worldwide aquaculture production.

Fish exports from 12 ACP island states made up more than half the value of all food exports in 2016. 50% of fish products from Africa, as well as 15% from the Caribbean and 50% from the Pacific are exported to the EU.