The market for Egyptian farmed fish

Egypt’s aquaculture production (921,585 tonnes in 2010) is by far the largest of any African country. The aquaculture sector, dominated by semi-intensive pond production of tilapia, makes a significant contribution to income, employment creation and food and nutrition security in the country, all of which are national priority areas given low per capita income levels, rising population, worsening food and nutrition security indicators, and official unemployment levels which have remained at around 10% for the last ten years. The Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS) project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is a three-year project which commenced in December 2011, and which aims to support the development of the aquaculture sector in Egypt so as to increase productivity, profitability, and employment in the sector, and the nutritional status of poor consumers. This report represents the output of a short two-week study to better understand the market for Egyptian farmed fish. The intention of the study was to provide an output which would cut-across, and potentially benefit, all five of the project outcomes.

Institutional, policy and regulatory framework for sustainable development of the Egyptian aquaculture sector

This report presents the findings of a mission to critically review the institutional, policy and regulatory framework for sustainable development of the Egyptian aquaculture sector. The study was undertaken by an International Expert on Aquaculture Policy, and a National Expert on Institutions, on behalf of the Project “Improving Employment and Income through the Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector“, implemented by WorldFish and CARE, and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation(SDC). The objective of the mission was to assess the current status of the Egyptian aquaculture sector, in terms of the policy, legal and institutional environment, with a view to suggesting the major issues to be addressed within a future policy dialogue.

Value chain analysis of the Egyptian aquaculture feed industry

The commercial aquaculture feed industry in Egypt is growing at a rapid rate. As a result, the number of fish feed mills has increased from just 5 mills producing about 20,000 t per year in 1999, to over 60 mills with a current production estimate of 800,000–1,000,000 t/year. The performance of the aquafeed industry in Egypt is not well understood, as the value chain structure has not yet been mapped. This study aims to assess the status of the fish feed sector in Egypt, with an emphasis on: mapping and understanding fish feed value chains, describing the main actors and stakeholders within the chain, assessing value chain performance, identifying major strengths and weakness of the sector, and suggesting appropriate actions, management and development strategies.

Circulation pattern of the Egyptian Mediterranean waters during winter and summer seasons

The water circulation of the Egyptian Mediterranean waters was computed during winter and summer seasons using the dynamic method. The reference level was set at the 1000db surface. The results showed that the surface circulation is dominated by the Atlantic water inflow along the North African coast and by two major gyres, the Mersa Matruth anticyclonic gyre and El-Arish cyclonic gyre. The results showed a seasonal reversal of El-Arish gyre, being cyclonic in winter and anticyclonic in summer. El-Arish gyre had not been previously measured. The geostrophic current velocity at the edges of the Mersa Matruth gyre varied between 12.5 and 29.1cm/sec in winter and between 6.5 and 13.1cm/sec in summer. The current velocity reached its maximum values (>40cm/sec) at El-Arish gyre. The current velocity at the two gyres decreased with increasing depth. The North African Current affects the surface waters down to a depth of 100m, and that its mean velocity varies between 6 and 38cm/sec.

Length-weight relationship of fishes caught by trawl off Alexandria, Egypt

This paper presents the length-weight relationship parameters (a and b) for 29 fish species, belonging to 16 families, taken by otter trawl fishing from Egyptian Mediterranean waters. The b values obtained ranged from 2.50 to 3.44 (with a mean of 2.926).

Analysis of the retailer value chain segment in five governorates

This study is the third output of the SDC-funded “Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egyptian Aquaculture” (IEIDEAS), a three-year project being jointly implemented by the WorldFish Center and CARE International in Egypt with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. The aim of the study is to gather data on the retailer segment of the aquaculture value chain in Egypt, namely on the employment and market conditions of the women fish retailers in the five target governorates. In addition, this study provides a case study in Minya and Fayoum of the current income levels and standards of living of this target group. Finally, the study aims to identify the major problems and obstacles facing these women retailers and suggest some relevant interventions.

The role of farmed fish in the diets of the resource-poor in Egypt.

The Egyptian aquaculture industry provides more than 100,000 full-time or part-time jobs and produces the country’s least-expensive farmed animal protein. Thus, aquaculture plays an important role in both sustaining livelihoods and improving the diet quality and nutritional health of Egyptians, including a significant proportion of the 25.5% who are resource-poor. Recognizing this dual role, WorldFish has promoted sustainable growth in Egyptian aquaculture for more than 20 years. Through its work, WorldFish has identified a lack of quality data about fish consumption preferences and practices. Eager to fill this knowledge gap, WorldFish partnered with the Environment and Development Group (EDG) to study consumption of fish, red meat and poultry among the resource-poor in Egypt. This study aimed to characterize current consumer preferences for and consumption patterns of animal-source foods, comparing red meat, poultry and fish. The resulting data is meant to contribute to a better understanding of what drives demand for fish among the resource-poor in Egypt, allowing value chain actors to more successfully market their products to this segment of the population.

Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS) project

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)-funded Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS) project was implemented by WorldFish in partnership with CARE Egypt and the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation from 2011 to 2014 and later extended to November 2015. The project focused on four governorates with significant aquaculture production (Kafr El Sheikh, Behera, Sharkia and Fayoum) and one governorate (El Mineya), where aquaculture was a new activity. The project was based on a value chain analysis conducted by WorldFish in September 2011 that identified the aquaculture value chain as a significant employer, particularly in rural areas. The analysis suggested that there was scope to increase employment of youth and women in the aquaculture sector The main objective was to increase aquaculture production by 10% and create 10,000 jobs. Other objectives included improving profitability for existing producers, securing employment for women fish retailers, expanding aquaculture in El Mineya and improving the policy environment for aquaculture.