Tilapia experts gather in Egypt

A TILAPIA forum was held in Egypt recently to bring together the world’s leading producers and share insights into the industry.

Organised by feed group Skretting, the meeting began in Cairo before moving south to Aswan, and was by invitation only.

Skretting’s top 50 tilapia farming customers from around the world joined leading authorities from areas such as genet- ics, farming, health, raw materials, feed, nutrition, processing and retail.

Arjen Roem, marketing director, Skretting Africa, said: ‘We brought these companies and experts together for the first time; partly to enable important networking opportunities, but also to share technical and informative presentations from across the value

chain. As one of the world’s leading tilapia producing countries, Egypt provided the ideal setting to show the aquaculture sector and the broader supply chain that as well as salmon and shrimp, Skretting is also leading the way when it comes to tilapia farming on a global scale.’

It is estimated that the global tilapia harvest has now reached a level of around six million tonnes, considerably more than the annual production of salmonids and shrimp.

Today, more tilapia is produced in Asia than in the species’ native Africa, and its production has grown at a significant rate in many regions around the world.

However, it is widely recognised that the potential exists to increase production dramatically. To facilitate this growth, bring great- er market credibility and improve margins, the tilapia sector has put strong emphasis on advancing its production systems.

‘In addition to looking at the market developments in recent years, discussions at the forum focused on the challenges and opportunities facing the tilapia sector today and in the future,’ said Roem.

‘For example, with soya bean being a key ingredient in tilapia feeds, there were sessions on the situation and outlook for raw materials, as well as for the application of novel feed ingredients.’

Skretting has opened tilapia feed plants in key markets in Africa, including Egypt, Nigeria and, most recently, Zambia.