This meeting was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and 40 countries from the Asia-Pacific region attended the Asia-Pacific regional meeting

FAO sets target of 35% growth in aquaculture production by 2030

SRI LANKA
Wednesday, February 28, 2024, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

In a joint effort to address global hunger and boost seafood production, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has revealed a goal to increase aquaculture production by 35% by 2030.

The ambitious goal was announced at the end of the three-day FAO Asia-Pacific Regional Conference (APRC37). This meeting was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and 40 countries from the Asia-Pacific region attended the Asia-Pacific regional meeting.

It is the first time since 2018 that FAO has convened the region's food and agriculture ministers and other policymakers for a large in-person meeting, seen as emblematic of what is needed to recover from the pandemic and the damage it has caused. to food production and production focus on. The report, adopted by FAO during the meeting, outlines strategies to meet the growing demand for seafood while addressing global hunger and malnutrition.

The FAO said aquaculture production has increased by 54% since 2011, making it one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors. FAO's Blue Transition roadmap to comprehensively reform aquatic food systems lays the foundation for this new goal. The goal is to implement comprehensive reforms at the beginning of the next decade.

Almost 600 million people are expected to suffer from chronic malnutrition by 2030, and FAO emphasizes the key role of aquaculture in solving this crisis. It is encouraging to see progress in Asia and the Pacific, where the number of undernourished people is expected to decline from 371 million to 202 million by 2030.

Angela Lentisco, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Officer, highlighted the importance of fisheries and aquaculture in alleviating food insecurity in the region. Lentisco also highlighted FAO's assistance to member countries in the development of these sectors, citing Sri Lanka's initiatives as an example.

In Sri Lanka, where fishing is the cornerstone of the economy and supports the livelihoods of more than 2.5 million people, FAO implements several projects aimed at making the fishing sector more efficient and sustainable. Through collaborative efforts, FAO and its partners work to strengthen food security and economic prosperity in the region.

In the final report presented to the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference, the leadership position of the Asia-Pacific region in capture fisheries and aquaculture was highlighted, whose production represents more than 70% of world production; Aquaculture is expected to grow by more than 20%. % by 2030. The report also recognizes that, if managed and developed sustainably, aquatic food systems in marine and freshwater areas, including aquaculture and fisheries in the region, can make a significant contribution to improving security food and nutrition and livelihoods, particularly empowering women in value chains.

The meeting welcomed FAO's Blue Transformation vision in the context of the Asia-Pacific region to “increase the contribution of fisheries, aquaculture and aquatic food value chains to provide a greater proportion of nutritious food and resilient livelihoods in the region, while recognizing that the blue transformation transition promotes the sustainable intensification of aquaculture, the effective management of all fisheries and the improvement of value chains to ensure social viability , economic and environmental of aquaculture systems”.

Source: Zhejiang Zhoushan International Agricultural Products Trade Center (translated from the original in Chinese)

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