“Aquaculture
in Guyana shows strong potential, since the country has relatively large acres
of flat lands with suitable soil types and access to large quantities and good
quality freshwater (water conservancies)… moreso there are existing drainage and
irrigation infrastructure in some areas, sub-tropical temperatures for shrimp
and fish production and good availability of agricultural/ fisheries
by-products for the formulation and manufacturing of aqua feed,” the
country’s Fisheries Minister Zulfikar Mustapha is reported to have said by the Guyana
Chronicle.
The country
currently grows bashaw, black shrimps, hassar, mullet, querriman, tambaqui and
tilapia and total production was a mere 121 tonnes last year, down from 246 tonnes in
2019, according to the Chronicle.
The sector currently
covers about 350 hectares, but the government aims to expand this, with ongoing
initiatives including the expansion of the Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station and
the establishment of aquaculture zoning.
The FAO provided US$100,000 to Guyana in 2019, to
strengthen the strategic and regulatory framework for inland fisheries and
aquaculture and is now working with the fisheries department to convert draft aquaculture
regulations into a legal document.
The government also allocated $293 million (US $I.4 million) in this year’s
annual budget to develop the sector – including a research programme that aims to
reduce the cost of feed.
Source link : https://thefishsite.com/articles/guyana-seeks-to-build-aquaculture-sector
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Publish date : 2021-10-04 03:00:00
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