Tilapia prices rise in China's Tilapia Capital, but farmers' incomes fall instead

Maoming, Oct. 6 (China News Service) -- (Liang Sheng, Liang Yuandong) In recent days, the purchase price of tilapia in Maoming, Guangdong, known as "China's Tilapia Capital," has continued to rise, reaching as high as 10.8 yuan (RMB, same below) per kg, closing in on the historic high of 11 yuan. In interviews in the local area over the past few days, reporters learned that because tilapia farming profits are low, farmers' incomes have decreased compared with previous years.

Li Ruiwei, director of the Maonan Sangao Tilapia Improved Variety Farm, said in an interview on the 6th that since July this year, prices of rapeseed meal and other meal-type raw materials have risen sharply, and aquatic feed prices have also risen across the board. At present, for tilapia farmers using full feed, the feed cost alone exceeds 9 yuan per kg of tilapia; adding costs such as farm rent, water and electricity, and labor, actual profits are not large.

Maoming, known as "China's Tilapia Capital," has for more than 10 years been committed to building bases for tilapia production, processing, and export. The city's tilapia farming area is 220,000 mu, with annual output exceeding 180,000 tons and an output value of 1.6 billion yuan, accounting for about 1/3 of Guangdong Province's tilapia output. It is China's largest tilapia farming base.

Data from the Maoming Municipal Ocean and Fisheries Bureau show that the city currently has more than 15,500 tilapia farming households, including more than 20 large farming households with more than 1,000 mu each. Tilapia and related industries have created more than 100,000 jobs, including more than 10,000 people engaged in tilapia transport and sales, with per capita annual income of more than 20,000 yuan.

According to Pan Jigui, general manager of Gaozhou Panshi Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., this year's highest tilapia purchase price was in late August, reaching 10.8 yuan per kg. Because of the scorching heat some time ago, dead fish began to appear in many aquaculture water areas. To avoid losses caused by dead fish, farmers rushed to cast nets and catch fish before waiting for the next round of price increases. The current selling price has fallen slightly.

Chen Biao, who has 10 years of tilapia farming experience, said tilapia farming "does not preserve value." In previous years, he moved among Maonan, Huazhou, Gaozhou, and other places to farm tilapia and made generous profits. This year, temperatures have been relatively high, and the new fry stocked in the farms kept becoming diseased and dying, and the dead fish were basically around half a jin each, causing great losses.

Li Ruiwei, who remains optimistic about the prospects of tilapia farming, said that due to the impact of the sluggish market in 2012, most farmers reduced their farming volume, resulting in very low current fish stocks. Now, stimulated by high prices, farmers are relatively active in selling fish, and the amount remaining in ponds will further decrease. New fish will not be available on the market so quickly, and with relatively strong market demand, there will still be a slight increase in the future market.