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Tilapia farming boosted aquaculture in 2011
Tilapia farming contributed to half of all local freshwater fish production last year, statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show.
Total fresh water fish production for last year amounted to over 400,000 kilogrammes.
Reports by the Agriculture Ministry revealed that tilapia production during the first six months of 2011 yielded 120,000 kg and by the end of the year, it rose to 217,000 kg.
According to the Ministry’s statistics, among the less prominent aquaculture products, tambaqui production amounted to 110,000 kg while black shrimp production was recorded at 28,000 kg.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, stated that the data supports the rapid growth of Guyana’s aquaculture sector.
The aquaculture stock now includes mullet, querriman, bashaw, hassar and crabs.
Guyana’s total marine fish catch, consisting mainly of prawns, seabobs, finfish and red snapper was about 22,000 tonnes.
It was noted that aquaculture in Guyana was developed after discussions with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for it to be included in the agriculture diversification strategy.
Since its introduction into the country, aquaculture has become a central and important element in the agro-diversification strategy and has been placed in the mainstream of the nation’s agriculture diversification projects, officials said.
In 1997, Guyana’s National Development Strategy stated that aquaculture development should become a priority because of its potential to positively impact social and economic development by creating jobs and generating income.
In the same year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) specialists visited Guyana, and worked with the Fisheries Department to outline proposals for aquaculture development.
Meanwhile, as it relates to cash crops, Guyana produced approximately 900 tonnes of legumes (corn, minica #4, black eye etc), more than 18,000 tonnes of coconuts, in excess of 12,000 tonnes of provisions and over 60,000 tonnes of vegetables in 2011.
Dr. Ramsammy also disclosed that 8,000 tonnes of spices, more than 4,000 tonnes of citrus (including lime) and over 21,000 tonnes of fruits were produced during last year.
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