Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector in the Middle East and North Africa, with the leading market, Egypt ranking in the top 10 countries in the world for global aquaculture production. Tilapia is the primary species produced, followed by sea bass, sea bream and mullet.

To feed those fish, Egypt has become the largest aquafeed producer in the region, with 34 small-to-medium aqua feed mills collectively producing 1.85 million metric tons annually. This demand for aquafeed will continue to grow as the Egyptian government moves toward its goal of increasing aquaculture production and reducing the gap between production and consumption.

Large, national fish farming projects have been created, and fish hatcheries have been developed to provide seeds for farming saltwater breeds. That was coupled with licensing nine fisheries that rely on underground water in the western desert. Capture fisheries are also being introduced. Nine are located in the Red Sea, and 12 are placed in the Mediterranean. 

To determine inclusion rates for DDGS and CGM in aquafeed rations, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) decided to engage on an individual basis with feed producers, many of which the Council was familiar with because of relationships in other feed production areas. Egypt is already one of the largest regional importers of U.S. DDGS and CGM, the majority of which is destined for poultry production. Egypt imported nearly 170,000 tons of U.S. DDGS and 77,000 tons of U.S. CGM in 2020.

Work to encourage higher DDGS and CGM inclusion rates for aquaculture feed has included one-on-one training sessions, demonstrations and technical assistance. In June, the Council conducted three webinars on DDGS in tilapia diets with a Southeast Asia-based aquaculture expert, now a USGC consultant, and a large feed producer in Egypt. Those technical exchanges led to a product quality trial to determine the optimal formulations for both floating and sinking aquafeed.

As a result, the partnering feed producer launched an aquafeed including U.S. DDGS and CGM in Egypt. The Council is also expanding this outreach to work with the USGC training center in Tunis, Tunisia, to further promote corn co-products for aquafeed in the region.