soybean field

USSEC Participates in Aqua India 2014

USSEC participated in Aqua India 2014 on January 24 and 25.  Aqua India is a national event which gathers aquaculture professionals, industry representatives, government researchers, institutional scientists, consultants, planners and international companies interested in investing in India’s aquaculture industry.  The biennial event, which is conducted by the Society of Aquaculture Professionals (SAP), was held in the central East Indian province called Andhra Pradesh, an important hub for commercial shrimp and fish farming in the country.  About 300 national and international participants attended the two-day event which centered on the theme “Sustaining Momentum and Spreading Success.”  Fifteen international speakers spoke on various aspects of the shrimp and fish industries in India with 29 topics overall. 

Participants at Aqua India 2014
Participants at Aqua India 2014

USSEC – Feed/Meal Program Director Dr. P. Emmanuel Vijay Anand was invited as a lead speaker to provide his recommendations on “The Future of Aquaculture in India.”  He was also asked to spell out a road map that the industry could adopt for the next two to three years.  Dr. Anand noted that USSEC was instrumental in creating a new soy use by modernizing aquaculture in India.  As a result, the sector currently uses 400 thousand metric tons (TMT) per year of soy meal; in 2006, the usage was at a lowly 45,000 metric tons (MT) per year.   Dr. Anand’s presentation dissected the entire value chain of Indian aquaculture and examined the certainties, the strong possibilities, and the negatives, which were viewed as opportunities.  He then put forth strong market plans and strategies that could contribute to the betterment of India’s aquaculture industry.  The blueprint could be used by national policy makers to augment fish protein production in the country in addition to its possible use by any private investor to create business plans and harness the upcoming potential of aquaculture.  Dr. Anand and R. Umakanth, USSEC Aquaculture Consultant – India, both feel that steering the industry onto the strategic plan will bring an additional 500 TMT of soy meal usage into the sector in the next three years.  The industry found USSEC’s presentation and recommendations to be of great value and this news is being widely circulated by print and electronic media.