USSEC – Southeast Asia (SEA), led by Lukas Manomaitis, USSEC Aquaculture Program Lead Technical Consultant – SEA; Levy Loreto L. Manalac, USSEC Technical Consultant, Aquaculture – Philippines; Pamudi, USSEC Technical Consultant, Aquaculture – Indonesia; and Hsiang Pin Lan, USSEC Asia Marine Specialist, Aquaculture – SEA, together with international speakers helped the Philippines to develop a sustainable, high-volume, export-focused marine fish aquaculture sector in a workshop conducted on May 8 at the Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel in Pasig City, Philippines.

According to Mr. Manomaitis, USSEC has been working with the marine fish aquaculture sector in Philippines for the past few years and anticipates that the current industry will become larger scale and will produce a large volume of marine fish products. In order for this to succeed, the industry will have to focus on extra-regional sales of product and not primarily on intra-regional trade (national or SEA regional sales). This workshop aimed to inform, educate, and discuss important topics as the Southeast Asian marine fish aquaculture industry starts to develop larger scale production.

The participants at the USSEC Workshop “Development of a Sustainable, High-volume, Export-focused Marine Fish Aquaculture Sector in Philippines” conducted on May 8 at the Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel in Pasig City, Philippines

During the workshop the invited resource speakers presented the following topics:

• Roy C. Ortega, OIC of IFAD of DA-BFAR, discussed the Philippines Fishery government current policy and future policy plans for marine fish aquaculture.
• Manomaitis provided an introduction to USSEC and discussed the seminar topic and workshop program.
• Matt Brooker, business development manager of The Fishin’ Company in the U.S., presented requirements for a company’s entry into a marine fish export market including how a species market is developed or expanded (if already existing), format, volume, quality, certifications, and challenges and opportunities.
• Elsie Tech, vice president South Luzon, Hi-VAP Inc. and technical consultant of Palawan Aquaculture Corp., discussed and introduced HI-VAP Inc. and how they see the marine fish industry in the next five years.
• Pamudi gave an introduction to the ideas of standards setting and certification bodies for marine fish export market.
• Isidor Yu, farm assurer, GlobalGAP, discussed the importance of standards and certifications for aquaculture products and for export products in particular.
• Lourdes Tanco, managing director of MIDA Trade Ventures International Inc., talked about how Philippine marine fish producers may need to link to the processing and export industry for smooth development of the industry.

Lourdes Tanco (left), managing director of MIDA Trade Ventures International Inc. and Roy C. Ortega (right), OIC of IFAD of DA-BFAR, discuss some government certifications issues

This workshop was highlighted by the four different sectors in four breakout sessions where they discussed and addressed the following:

1. Import related: What is the best way to link to markets, identify products and encourage buyers to look at SEA marine fish production?
2. Certification related: What are the key concerns with regards to standards/certifications that may impact a move to an export marine fish aquaculture industry?
3. Government: What actions in the short/medium/long term are needed to support an export marine fish aquaculture industry?
4. Industry actions: What changes need to occur within the current industry to move to export volumes? How will feeds be a part of this?

Joseph Martin Borromeo, national president of Philippine Association of Fish Producers Inc. (PAFPI), presents the output of industry action plans during the break-out sessions

The workshop was attended by 36 marine fish farmers and company, aquaculture feedmills, seafood importers and exporters, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and other government agencies, members of Philippine Association of Fish Producers Inc. (PAFPI), Philippine Milkfish Industry Group Inc. (PhilMIG), High Value Aqua Philippines Inc. (Hi-VAP), fish cage manufacturers, and other aquaculture stakeholders in Philippines.

The international speakers and marine fish stakeholders that shared their insights and experiences at the workshop. (L-R) Isidor Yu (farm assurer. GlobalGAP), Scott Zimmerman (principal, SQSA), Longley Gace (president, InnovaSea), Matt Brooker (business development manager, The Fishin’ Company, U.S.A.) and David Kelly (CEO, InnovaSea)

USSEC held one-on-one workshops in Morocco May 7-10 to further expand knowledge on aquafeed, fish nutrition, and production.

Escorted by USSEC consultant – Morocco Khalid Benabdeljelil, USSEC consultant Tim O’Keefe, president of Aqua-Food Technologies, Inc., visited with several operators in the aquafeed industry to address specific issues.

Extensive fishing of small wild fish species caught and transformed into fishmeal and oil for aquafeed needs pushes feed manufacturers to look for alternative ways to face ecological, economical, and nutritional challenges.

A strong reliance on fishmeal and oil as sources of nutrients for farm-raised fish is not sustainable. Reducing dependence on fish oil and meal and developing alternative sources of protein and oil contributes to the success of the aquaculture industry.

Soy-based aquafeed helps reduce the “fish-in: fish-out” ratio in the production of major farm-raised fish species. U.S. soybean meal and soy protein concentrate inclusion in sustainable feed can produce wholesome nutritious fish for Morocco’s growing market.

Formulating high performance soy-based feed for Mediterranean fish species on sound nutritional considerations were among the issues discussed with major feed producers, as well as the current challenge in finding alternative sources.

As new aquaculture projects are being developed, growing sustainably ultimately builds opportunities for U.S. Soy products in aquafeed.

One-on-one workshop with Aqua Mdiq Company

One-on-one workshop with Aqua Mdiq Company

One-on-one meeting at Alf Sahel Company

USSEC hosted its annual seminar on cost effective aquafeed formulations and aquafeed manufacturing in Egypt. A total of 80 participants attended the event, representing the top aquaculture feed mills and aqua producers.

Bret Tate, U.S. Agricultural Attaché – Cairo, opened the seminar. In his opening speech, Mr. Tate pointed out the importance of the agricultural and trade relationships between Egypt and the United States and stressed the win-win opportunity presented by the aquaculture industry, which utilizes large quantities of soy.

Egypt imports approximately 4 million metric tons (MMT) of soy, mainly soybeans along with some soybean meal. Historically, 50 percent of the beans are of U.S. origin.

During the week of the seminar, the USSEC team conducted one-on-one industry visits with aqua feed mills to provide the necessary support for adoption of least cost formulation and the benefits that arise from formulating with U.S. Soy.

USSEC consultant Tim O’Keefe, keynote speaker at the event, praised the sequence of the seminar. The morning session provided an opportunity for the participants to gain an understanding of the nutritional requirements of tilapia. The session that followed was delivered by USSEC Regional Project Manager – EU / (Middle East – North Africa (MENA) Sirri Kayan, who provided participants with the opportunity to apply that knowledge using an interactive model that allowed them to share in the formulation process. The participants helped in formulating a number of diets while applying different ingredients on least cost software to demonstrate the value of U.S. Soy.

Guest speaker Dr. G. Ramesh of Wenger delivered a presentation on the manufacturing process of marine diets and the new developments in the area of marine diet formulation. The presentation revolved around the critical factors in marine diet formulation including the high inclusion rates of fat and the ability of different types of equipment to handle fat inclusion rates including, single screw extruders and double screw as well as the advantages of high intensity pre conditioner. He applauded the level of interaction and interest of the participants, saying they were “reactive, very interested, and highly engaged. Clearly the aquaculture industry is growing rapidly.”

Ned Williams from Ever-Extruder spoke about the background and history of his company and Carbide technology advantages and industries. Mr. Williams also presented new and innovative technology for dyes, knives, drive hubs, extruder alignment, and support for high efficacy and SSDS innovation for real time density control. Mr. Williams commented that this seminar and similar USSEC activities that take part around the world is truly a global effort on the part of USSEC and provides the opportunity for global exposure for U.S. companies seeking international markets.

Hussein Mansour of Aller Aqua delivered the final presentation of the seminar. His presentation revolved around future perspectives in the Egyptian aqua industry, mainly the complete replacement of fishmeal by soy in tilapia diets, as well as the global trend of aquaculture as a replacement of wild catch. Mr. Hussein also explained the importance of fish protein for the Egyptian market. Current per capita consumption is almost 21 kilograms (kg). He added that while Egypt is one of the top producers in the world of aquaculture products, most of the fish is sold on the spot market; Mr. Hussein explained that in the future, processing will play a major role in the development of the industry. During his presentation, he explained the importance of increased customer awareness of the quality of farmed tilapia and the initiative that is currently being adopted by the industry to produce a generic brand under the name Egyptian Tilapia.

USSEC – Southeast Asia conducted in-house seminars and visits to several aquaculture feedmills in the Philippines to address different issues in their feedmill productions and aquaculture feed formulations from February 21 – 23.

Mark Newman, USSEC Feedmill and Nutrition Consultant, checks on one of the screws of the extrusion machine at Davao South Feedmill Corporation, a Vitarich Feed Corp. third party toll milling partner in producing extruded aqua feeds in Mindanao on February 21

Levy Loreto L. Manalac, USSEC Technical Consultant, Aquaculture – Philippines and Mark Newman, USSEC Feedmill and Nutrition Consultant, led this effort. In order to properly address each aqua feedmill issue, USSEC requested pre-questionnaires from each feedmill to guide USSEC during the in-house seminar.

Mr. Newman presents “Extrusion Principles and Equipment in Aquaculture Feed Production” and “Fish Feeds and Feeding Management” at the Philippine Foremost Milling Corp. in Manila on February 22

Mr. Newman presented and discussed extrusion principles and equipment in aquaculture feed production; feeds and feeding management; and milkfish and tilapia nutrition, including the use of U.S. Soy products to reduce the amount of fishmeal and fish oil in aquaculture feeds at the Davao South Feedmill Corporation (Vitarich Feed Corp. third party toll milling partner), Philippine Foremost Milling Corp., and CJ Phils.

Mr. Newman presents “Extrusion Principles and Equipment in Aquaculture Feed Production” and “Milkfish and Tilapia Nutrition” at CJ Philippines in Bulacan on February 23

At Santeh Feeds Corp. Mr. Newman presented and discussed nutrition and feeds for marine shrimp, processing sinking feeds for shrimp, and current manufacturing trends.

Mr. Newman presents “Nutrition and Feeds for Marine Shrimp” and “Processing Sinking Feeds for Shrimp – Current Manufacturing Trends” at Santeh Feeds Corp. in Bulacan on February 23

38 feedmill staff, Q&A staff, and managers from four different aquaculture feedmills in Philippines attended the in-house seminar.

About 15,000 of the 23,000 floating net cages (FNCs) in Jatiluhur Reservoir in Purwakarta Regency, West Java, Indonesia began to be removed early last month and will continue to be removed until February 2018. The remaining cages will then be partially removed until the end of next year. An excessive number of cages, up to six times the allowable number, has been blamed for threatening the water supply for Jakarta and Java-Bali’s power supply. Purwakarta Regent Deddy Mulyadi initiated this action.

FNC aquaculture, which mostly produces common carp, started in the reservoir in 1988 and has been a dilemmatic industry in Purwakarta. With an annual production of 70,000 tons per year, involving 3,636 farm households and with a potential estimated tax of $90.2 million (USD) per year, the industry claimed to boost the local economy. However, among those cages, only 3,000 FNCs were officially registered and the registrations expired last year, while the rest were illegal, threatening the water supply and Java-Bali’s power supply.

Although many fish farmers complained about the action, they do not have any right to reject or sue the local government because they established the cages illegally and were instructed to remove them a couple years ago. The farmers now need alternative jobs to make a living. The local government has proposed that the reservoir could be an attractive tourist water spot, involving most of the former cage fish farmers to manage the spot without disrupting the reservoir’s sustainability.

USSEC’s aquaculture program has considered the Jatiluhur and other Indonesian reservoirs for sustainable, environmental-friendly aquaculture, farming the land and sustaining the sea and other water bodies.

This outdated photo documents the excessive number of floating net cages for common carp in Jatiluhur Reservoir, Purwakarta Regency, West Java

As part of the study to improve marketing of Egyptian aquaculture products, a wrap up workshop was held on April 18 at the Conrad Hotel in Cairo, entitled “Improved Marketing of Egyptian Aquaculture Products.” Forty participants attended the event. They included fish farmers (both freshwater and marine), traders, feed mill operators, researchers, and some development partners.

The workshop aimed to present the findings of the study undertaken by Ian Goulding and Maggie Kamel to “Characterize and Improve Distribution of Aquaculture Products in Egypt.” The seminar was divided into four sessions: analysis and key findings of the study; recommendations to improve marketing; guidelines for handling of aquaculture products; and discussion.

Based on a SWOT analysis of the aquaculture sector, Goulding drew recommendations for both the private sector, centering around developing new marketing channels through investment in processing and distribution infrastructure; improving safety, hygiene and handling conditions; improved organization of the sector (strengthened association of aquaculture operators); and generic marketing support.

Participants actively engaged in a vibrant discussion over the recommendations. They agreed on the need for establishing an organization to better represent the interests of the sector and lead some of the marketing activities required to support the sector. They also discussed potential technical assistance activities that could be extended by development partners such as training and study tours.