The nation’s tilapia aquaculture farmers were urged yesterday to shift to production of higher added-value fish fillets to avoid fierce competition from their Chinese rivals.
The deputy director-general of the Fisheries Agency, Chen Tian-shou (陳添壽), called for the nation’s tilapia farms to increase exports of fish fillets, which are higher priced, instead of producing whole fish, which faces cutthroat competition from China.
China’s mass production and low pricing strategies have caused the price of whole tilapia to plummet since early this year. The price fell to NT$33 per kilogram at its lowest point, compared with NT$45 two years ago, Chen said.
The pricing issue prompted the agency to implement a subsidy plan last month to encourage local tilapia farms to cooperate with seafood processing factories and increase their export of skinless, boneless tilapia fillets, which can be sold for US$6.5 per kilogram.
Under the incentive program, fish farmers are given NT$5 per kilogram in subsidies to help cover their production and export inspection fees, Chen said.
Because of its large size, rapid growth and palatability, tilapia has become the most important fish in the country’s aquaculture sector, with annual exports of whole fish reaching between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes and of fish fillets about 4,000 tonnes, Chen said.
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