Farmers struggling to keep up with local tilapia demand - Green vows to make aquaculture a priority

Pointing out that aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing fields in agriculture globally, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Floyd Green said that Jamaica cannot afford to be left behind.

Speaking yesterday as he toured the Longville Park Farm in Clarendon, where he observed the tilapia farming done by Donnie Bunting, Green said that while other sectors had been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, aquaculture was still booming.

“There was a time when we were the pioneers in the Caribbean and again, unfortunately, we have fallen behind, but the good thing is that we can get back there,” he said.

Bunting revealed that since the start of the year, there has been a dramatic increase in demand for tilapia locally.

“The demand has been so significant that farmers are now struggling to supply local markets. The root cause for the increase in demand is unknown; however, this may relate to the considerable hike in wild-caught marine fish prices. Interestingly, the time of the demand increase coincided with the advent of COVID-19 in Jamaica. There may be some direct relationship between the rise in local demand and the pandemic,” Bunting said.

Despite the increased demand, challenges such as lengthy crop cycle – with the fish taking nine months to grow to market size – makes the response time slow.

He said that some farmers were also employing outdated practices that do not maximise productivity levels.

“Most fish farms operate at the semi-intensive production level, and Longville Park Farm has now transitioned to the intensive level,” he said.

IMPORTING FEED

Bunting said there was a drawback in using pellet feed from a local plant as not all the feed is consumed by the fish, with the excess breaking down in the pond, which eventually reduces the oxygen level and impedes stocking density.

His two attempts at importing the extruded feed – which is a potential solution – had to be abandoned due to high Customs fees and red tape.

Green admitted that those issues need to be addressed.

“We have to fix the bureaucracy. There can be no two ways about this. The reality is that it has to be easier for our partners in agriculture and fisheries to be able to invest in agriculture and fisheries again,” he said.

The minister said that he had already reached out to the Jamaica Customs Agency and the Ministry of Finance in relation to the various duties being charged.

Acknowledging that Customs has a right to protect the resources of Government, he stressed that they cannot do it to the detriment of those who are genuinely participating and investing in the industry.

Green, in praising Bunting for the vast amount of work put into the fresh-water farming, said that many persons would be surprised to know that there is a farm operating at that high level in Clarendon.

He said he wanted other parts of Jamaica to embrace the research and technology employed by Bunting in relation to tilapia.

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