Tilapia sector fading fast
Export growth was once again tepid for tilapia in 2015 but export growth is fading even faster, questioning the very future of the Chinese tilapia sector.
Shipments fell 2.57 percent to 392,000 tons but fell 14.1 percent in value to USD 1.3 billion (EUR 1.15 billion). Tilapia remains in fourth place in the ranking of China’s seafood export categories, but its share of exports has fallen from 9.47 percent of overall exports in 2014 – 403,000 tons worth USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.33 billion) to 8.73 percent of exports in 2015. The deceleration seems to have gathered pace last year compared to 2014, when tilapia shipments fell 0.2 percent in volume but rose 4.6 percent in value terms.
A weaker Japanese currency and economy, however, means tilapia is now worth more than exports of eel (much of which go to Japan), falling five percent in value terms (while rising seven percent in volume terms) though at USD 1 billion (EUR 886 million) in value terms, eel exports remain a valuable aquaculture niche for China.
