A delegation from the National Aquaculture Association of Guyana (NAAG) recently attended a large aquaculture trade show in Florida even as a first shipment of farm-reared tilapia has been exported to Barbados.
According to a press release the Aquaculture America 2008 conference and trade show is the largest held in the western hemisphere. This is the second time NAAG has attended the show. Chico Persaud, a NAAG representative said the exposure at the show was worth “at least a year and a half in the field” as tapping into other people’s resources enhances one’s learning curve. Another representative, Desmond Kanhai said his experience at the show has given him the confidence to move forward with plans to expand his farm and to market his product.
Farm-reared fish have been produced in limited quantities here though increased production has made fish more readily available in local markets. NAAG chairman Beni Sankar first exported farm-reared fish last August and a shipment of 1,200 pounds of tilapia was recently sent to Barbados. “In my experience in exporting, fish is not too tough” Sankar said. Compared with rice, he said, “the small man could do the same, plus there are many processors willing to get involved.” Sankar also supplies leading supermarkets such as Nigel’s and Bonny’s with tilapia and pacu.
At the same time, Sankar said because farm production in Guyana is still small, many farmers must come together to produce enough volume for export.
“A great collaboration is going on in Guyana,” he said, adding that one such alliance in January resulted in the first tilapia exports from Fort Island and the East Coast Demerara.
This business model, also known as satellite farming, allows smaller farmers to combine their production with a larger farm base to take advantage of markets that would have otherwise been closed to them.
