{"id":3833,"date":"2015-06-11T13:54:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-11T13:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grains.org\/ltamex\/landmark-aquaculture-summit-encourages-diversification-of-feed-and-u-s-export-potential\/"},"modified":"2015-06-11T13:54:00","modified_gmt":"2015-06-11T13:54:00","slug":"landmark-aquaculture-summit-encourages-diversification-of-feed-and-u-s-export-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grains.org\/ltamex\/landmark-aquaculture-summit-encourages-diversification-of-feed-and-u-s-export-potential\/","title":{"rendered":"Landmark Aquaculture Summit Encourages Diversification of Feed and U.S. Export Potential"},"content":{"rendered":"
Growth of aquaculture operations meant to help meet customer demand from the one billion people who rely on fish as their primary protein source is also encouraging diversification of feed ingredients, including distiller\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soy.<\/p>\n
Pressure on wild fish stocks is a constant concern, making aquaculture one of the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fastest growing industries. Asia accounts for nearly 90 percent of global aquaculture production.<\/p>\n
This is a strategic opportunity for U.S. producers, and last week the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) joined with several longtime partners, including the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (USDA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in a landmark conference in Singapore to explore long-term options for the industry. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The role of USGC in aquaculture is clear,\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd said Kevin Roepke, USGC regional director of South and Southeast Asia. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The aquaculture industry needs to move on from using large amounts of rendered wild fish for feeds and transition to using a suite of plant-based proteins and ingredient sources.\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd<\/p>\n
While fish meal remains the primary protein source today, the picture is beginning to change. In production models like the one emerging in Vietnam, imported feed ingredients from the United States are fed to seafood and, in turn, the finished fish is re-exported back to the United States. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a case study in comparative advantage,\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd Roepke said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yet the challenge facing the industry is finding a production system that is environmentally friendly, consumer-oriented and economically viable.\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd<\/p>\n
The growth potential is dramatic, and the challenges are stark. A recent study conducted by the United Nations\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Worldfish concluded that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aquaculture production must grow by as much as 100 percent by 2030 in order to satisfy demand.<\/p>\n