The average annual growth
of aquaculture was 26 per cent during the 1990s, according
to the latest data from the Fisheries Secretariat.
Last year alone fish,
shellfish and mollusc farming produced 260,000 tonnes -
26.4 per cent of the country's total production of 985,000
tonnes, including maritime and continental fishing.
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Last year alone fish,
shellfish and mollusc farming produced 260,000 tonnes.
Photo:Aqualider |
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Forecasts for this year indicate
23 per cent growth with production reaching a total of
320,000 tonnes. And, according to
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and
Food projections, aquaculture production could
reach 500,000 tonnes by 2005.
More and more producers are
interested in fish farming and in Sao Paulo's Paranapanema
valley alone, the reservoirs of the three dams located along
the river are being used by 90 local producers to farm
tilapia, a much sought after species on the domestic and
international markets. Other less known species such as pacú
and tambacu are also being farmed.
The region has 12 per cent of
the world's fresh water reserves and the authorities are
promoting the use of reservoirs, irrigation canals and lakes
for farm fish, shellfish and molluscs.
Statistics show that since
1995, the number of fish farming cages used in Sao Paulo has
increased from 16 to 800 units, and the number of
greenhouses has risen from 120 to 680, with total production
reaching 5,500 tonnes per year. But despite the region's
advantages, a
United Nations
Organisation for Food and Agriculture
(FAO) report says the San Francisco Valley area has the
highest potential for inland aquaculture.
Albert Bartolomeu de Sousa
Rosa, Rural Development Coordinator of the
Valleys of San Francisco and Parnaíba
Development Company (Codevasf), said he aims to
attract private investors, such as Chinese companies, which
could bring a lot of experience and technology to improve
aquaculture development.
At the same time, the
authorities are also promoting benefits of seafood in a bid
to boost domestic consumption "which is well below the
international average," he told Mercado da Pesca.
According to FAO statistics,
annual consumption in Brazil is just seven kilograms per
person, compared with at least 20 kilograms in countries
such as Japan, Spain and the US.
By Patricia Diácono
FIS Latino
Photo courtesy of:-
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