IFFO, the Marine Ingredients Organization – the trade group representing the aquafeed industry – reported higher production in 2020.
The organization’s year-end market intelligence report revealed total cumulative fishmeal production in 2020 increased by 11 percent over 2019, and 12 percent higher fish oil production.
The figures were impressive, given that China is by far the main market for marine ingredients and that the country had more limited aquaculture operations this year due to lockdowns related to COVID-19, IFFO said. China also continues to recover from the decimation of its swine herd due to a massive outbreak of African swine fever over the past three.
Every region of the globe with aquafeed production recorded gains in 2020, with the exceptions of Chile, the United States, and India, which each reported “significant annual reductions,” IFFO said. Every region except for India and the U.S. also recorded higher fish oil production.
“India’s landings have continued to rebound since the imposition of a COVID-19-related lockdown in the first part of the year, reporting year-on-year improvements in all months since then. This, however, was not enough to bring the cumulative annual production of both fishmeal and fish oil to the levels reached in 2019,” IFFO said.
In December 2020, the average price of aquatic products was slightly up month-over-month and year-over-year, though year-over-year trading volume dropped, according to IFFO.
Global shrimp imports in 2020 dropped by 16 percent compared to 2019, “mainly because of the reduced demand expressed by the COVID-19-stricken foodservice [sector],” IFFO reported.
December through February represents the low season for aquaculture in China, and therefore current aquafeed output remains subdued, IFFO said.
“Domestic fishmeal production has already come to a seasonal pause in view of the approaching Spring Festival. Operations might resume in Zhejiang mid-February, and after the Spring Festival in Shandong, but the Liaoning fishmeal plants might not work again until September due to the lack of raw material,” IFFO said. “The production of the three provinces in January was minimal.”
Photo courtesy of Wuttichai Jantarak/Shutterstock
