The Global Aquaculture grows faster than expected, according to FAO

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that aquaculture can grow more than expected over the next 10 years, which would improve the nutrition of the people, especially in Asia and Africa.

Experts argue that technological advances can compensate for lack of resources, given that some new technologies help improve productivity.

Progress on water use, breeding, breeding practices and innovation in feeding fish are proof of that.

According to FAO, it is expected that the increased investment will help increase aquaculture production to 4.14% per year between now and 2022. This increase is significantly faster than the rate of 2.54% estimated earlier 2014 by FAO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

En opinión de Audun Lem, experto de la División de Políticas y Economía de la Pesca y la Acuicultura de la FAO y uno de los autores del nuevo informe, “the main reason for more optimism is that there is ample room to catch up with more productive technologies, particularly in Asia”.

In this regard, he said that Asia today “There are many small farmers who can not afford the heavy financial costs required to expand production without running into resource constraints”.

As for Africa, said its aquaculture industry is experiencing tremendous growth of over 5% per annum.

Lem said that about 50% of the USD 127,000 million in fish exports worldwide in 2011 came from developing countries.

He noted that in terms of direct human consumption (CHD), fish farming surpassed this year to capture fisheries, which reached its ceiling in the mid 1980s and is expected to grow by only 5% over the next 10 years.

This increase is projected considering the reduction of waste, the best gear to reduce unwanted bycatch and proper management of fisheries.

Globally, consumption of fish per capita increased from 9.9 kg in 1970 to 19.1 kg in 2012. Africa, Latin America and the Middle East recorded consumption levels of about half the world average, while Asia, Europe and North America are all averages around 21 kg per capita.

Furthermore, the FAO estimates that in 2022, the prices of fish are 27% higher than today.

“Fish farming should also be analyzed with the broad perspective of a food system as it has a number of implications from the environmental impact of hydroelectric projects on land rights of smallholders energy, through the employment of women in the local retail networks”Says the FAO.

Meanwhile, predicts that increased demand for fish meal will not have much impact on prices, since they are developing alternatives such as food based on vegetable proteins.

“It is running a remarkable change since the Peruvian anchoveta, Chilean mackerel and Scandinavian herring are being used increasingly for direct human consumption, while other products are exploited more efficiently and are used for oil production Fish”Concludes the international body of the UN.

SOURCE: Fis.com