Aquaculture development

in Timor-Leste

Nigel Preston – Director General WorldFish

WorldFish Mission

To reduce poverty and hunger by improving fisheries

and aquaculture

A rapidly changing world: Population growth

A rapidly changing world: Sources of animal protein

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20

40

60

80

100

120

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Mil

lio

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Source: EPI from FAO

Pork

Mutton

Poultry

Wild Fish

Farmed Fish

Eggs

Beef

Farmed Fish

Beef

Wild Fish

Poultry

Pork

Eggs

Sustainability of animal protein production

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1 2 3 4

Cattle

(feed-lot)

Pig Chicken Catfish

Fe

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ati

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Fish for micronutrients and brain development

• Low fish intake 50% greater risk of lower verbal IQ

• Suboptimal fine motor, communication, social development.

Omega 3 and omega 6 Fatty Acids Micronutrients: Rich in Vitamins D,

B12 and B6. o Vitamin D

Important for bone health, and for immunity.

o B12 Vital for normal brain and

nervous system function. o Vitamin B6

Plays an important role in converting food in to energy and helping the body to metabolize fats and proteins.

Population 1.07 million.

Kg/yr Total Urban Coastal Rural

Fish consumption 6.1 6.0 17.6 4.0

Meat consumption 13.3 19.1 12.1 12.6

Fisheries 3,250 tonnes

Aquaculture 50 tonnes

Target fish consumption 15.0 by 2030

1,500 households

Timor-Leste National Aquaculture Strategy - practical

guidance for socially and environmentally responsible

aquaculture

National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Timor‐Leste 2012

• Investing in the future health of the nation - improving food and nutrition security in Timor‐Leste via fisheries and aquaculture

• Timor‐Leste has over 700 km of coastline, opportunity to development both coastal fisheries and aquaculture.

• Coastal fishery resources may be able to meet the animal protein source demand of the coastal communities but interior population has little access to these resources.

• Need for separate, specific strategies for freshwater and marine aquaculture

• Immediate opportunity to develop freshwater aquaculture for food security and poverty alleviation

Fisheries and aquaculture challenges and

opportunities

Optimal sites for freshwater aquaculture

GIFT • Grows 50 to 80% faster

• Hardy

• Sent to 16 countries

• GIFT-technology used globally

Low risk to native fish population in Timor-Leste

• Farms are only stocked with male fish (faster growth)

• Females are mouth brooders (non dispersive)

• Natural waterways are seasonal, fast flowing not natural

habitat for Tilapia

Production of farmed tilapia by country (million tonnes)

Source: FAO 2012; graphic by Epipelagic

Other countries

Brazil

Taiwan

Thailand

Philippines

Indonesia

Egypt

China

Improved tilapia production: Egypt, Bangladesh, Philippines, India, (Timor-Leste)

2oo million people consuming improved tilapia by

2022

0.7 million metric tonnes

2022

0.146 million metric tonnes

2014

Rapid transformation of old to new hatchery

and broodstock production

New hatchery and broodstock rearing facility in

full production

• 10, 000 GIFT Broodstock imported from Malaysia

• 4,200 broodstock used for production (4 ponds)

• 100,000 eggs harvested per week

• So far 70,000 fingerlings to farmers (another 50,000 today)

• Hatchery target 4 million fingerlings per year

• 40 tonnes scheduled for harvest in October 2016

Fish farmer Marcelino Pereira and his wife, from Lacoliu village in Baucau municipality, Timor-Leste, eating a lunch of tilapia, rice and vegetables. The tilapia was grown in ponds on their land.

“Before, we didn’t even have fish once a year. Now, at least twice a week we eat fish.” – Marcelino Pereira, fish farmer - Lacoliu village

Production and consumption using 5% of

suitable aquaculture area

200 m2 pond: 100 kg fish annually (5 t/ha) with a modest feed and pond input

Small-scale fish farmers in Asia typically sell 60% of total fish produced.

12,000 t fish (mostly from tilapia) by 2030:

7200t likely to be sold (local and Dili markets)

4800 t for household consumption

Need 4000 ha of ponds

Household average 0.1 ha

40,000 households

Assumptions and projections 2012-2030 using

12.5 % of suitable aquaculture area

Population of TL 2012: 1.07 million

Estimated population in 2030: 2 million

Total fish required to meet 15 kg annual per capita

consumption target (for 2 million people) by 2030: 30,000

t/year

o 12.5% of suitable freshwater ha would produce 30,000 t

($75 M) – 100,000 households

o capture fisheries ?

Opportunity for new aquafeed industry (55,000 t)

Retailing

Processing

Consumer

Post-harvest

Storage and

Distribution

ENERGY WATER WASTE

• Energy

• Water

• Waste

Production

The supply chain

Marine aquaculture challenges and opportunities

Need to update strategy based on rigorous analysis

Small-scale production shrimp, milk-fish

Larger volume, low value: seaweed

Large-scale, high value: grouper, barramundi

high risk needs rigorous evaluation: sites,

ownership, competition, markets ?

Summary

Partnership between Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,

WorldFish, donors and local communities has established a

new, sustainable freshwater aquaculture industry that has

a high probability of success of improving food security and

reducing poverty for between 40,000 and 100,000

households in Timor-Leste

Opportunity for equivalent rigorous evaluation of the

potential for marine aquaculture: sites, ownership,

completion, markets

Thank You