The Egyptian tilapia value chain experience

Froukje Kruijssen (WorldFish)

Livestock and Fish expert workshop on systems analysis for value chain transformation

Amsterdam, 19 November 2014

Egyptian aquaculture sector

• Approximately 6000 tilapia farmers

• Aquaculture average growth of 10.4% per year

• Aquaculture now provides about one fish per person per week

Data source: GAFRD, 2012

Tilapia value chain assessment

• Tilapia VCA study carried out by WorldFish in Sept 2011

• A ‘team’ approach using a range of enumerators and industry contacts

• VCA used to provide facts & figures for a project proposal submitted to SDC in November 2011

• VCA paper on published in Aquaculture, also WorldFish Project Report 2011-54

• Improving Employment and Incomes through Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS) project

VCA – key findings

• No exports – short and simple VC

• No processing – all fish sold fresh or live

• Little spoilage but value loss

• Employment is around 14 FTEs per 100 tonnes

• evenly divided between youth and older workers

• women mainly in retail

• Producers receive 72% final consumer price

from: Macfadyen et al. 2011

VCA - key problems & market-based solutions

Problems

• Poor fry, stocking and feed management

• Penetration of poor rural markets

• Institutional framework

Proposed solutions

• Increase productivity, profitability, sustainability

• Increase employment for women

• Expand aquaculture in El Mineya

• Improve policy & regulatory environments

Improving Employment and Incomes through Development of Egypt’s

Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS)

SDC funded project

The IEIDEAS Project

• Project approved December 2011, field activities started Feb/March 2012

• Funding of 1st phase until Dec 2014, transition period in 2015, 2nd phase from 2016 onwards

• Dissemination of ‘Abbassa strain’ genetically improved tilapia to the Egyptian aquaculture industry

• Development of Best Management Practice guidelines & delivery of BMP training

• Support for women retailers (managed by CARE)

• Expansion of aquaculture in Upper Egypt (managed by CARE)

• Improving the policy environment for aquaculture

Abbassa improved strain

Fish farms

Hatcheries

Broodstockmultiplication

centers

Abbassaresearch center

• Broodstock supplied to

BMCs in 2012

• BMCs supplied

broodstock to 124

hatcheries in 2013

• 45 farms supplied with all-

male fry from BMCs in

2013

• Mass production of all-

male fry by hatcheries in

2014 – 1200 fish farms

stocked with Abbassa

improved strain (but target

was 2000)

2012

2014

2013

Best Management Practices training• 15 subject areas; site selection to post-harvest handling

• Training delivered by farmers to farmers

• Small group, practical training

• Total 2794 training sessions (Aug 2014), each session with

around 10 trainees

• Total number of 2146 trainees (but not all topics)

114 15

24 1732 33

69

89106

97

163181 179

194

264 263 258

207198

208

160

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Oct 12 Nov 12Dec 12 Jan 13 Feb 13 Mar13

Apr 13 May13

June13

July 13Aug 13 Sep 13 Oct 13 Nov13

Dec 13 Jan 14 Feb 14 Mar14

Apr 14 May14

Jun 14 Jul 14

Total # of training sessions delivered in the main four Governorates.

Best Management Practices training

IEIDEAS facebook site: www.facebook.com/WorldfishAbbassa

Support for women retailers (CARE)

• Six retailer groups formed under

CDAs in Shakshouk (Fayoum),

Mineya (2), Kafr el Sheikh,

Behera & Abou Hammad

(Sharkia)

• Capacity building; business

planning, marketing, hygiene

• Market improvements: ice-boxes,

construction of market area,

motor-tricycles for distribution,

fish distribution centres

• 21 Village savings and loans

groups established

Innovation platform

• Aim to develop policy environment

• Expected outcome: strengthened capacity of aquaculture producer and industry organizations to represent their members’ interests

• IP identified and prioritized issues

• Six issues taken forward by working groups

• Egypt has difficult policy environment so gestation time for reaching impacts are particularly long

Issues prioritized

1. Farmer representation in policy and decision-making2. Increasing prevalence of fish disease3. Low quality feeds and high production costs4. Difficulty of obtaining a license for fish farming and

limited possibility to own land5. Deterioration of water quality6. Lack of well-equipped fish markets/formal selling space

2015 priorities

• Rigorous impact assessment of G9 tilapia strain and adoption of improved BMPs in terms of profitability and productivity

• Outcomes of work with retailers in terms of jobs, sales volumes, fish value and women empowerment

• Youth employment in Aswan Governorate project: The fish aspects of project focus on introduction of aquaculture, improving fish processing (L&F) and developing new products (L&F) and improved fisheries management in Lake Nasser (non-L&F)

CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. The CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish aims to increase the productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems in sustainable ways, making meat, milk and fish more available and affordable across the developing world.

CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish

livestockfish.cgiar.org