The aquaculture industry can become one of the new drivers of economic growth in the country under the National Productive Diversification Plan (PNDP) and take a leap forward over the next five years to represent not less than 15 per cent of fisheries Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This was predicted Vice Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Juan Carlos Requejo, when closing the XIV Meeting of the Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (COPESCAALC), held for the first time in Peru.
“In 2015 we have approved aquaculture investments of over PEN 92 million (USD 25.8 million) and have expanded aquaculture border to new investments in nearly 25,000 hectares,” he said.
“In Peru, we are aiming at this goal and to increase current production levels of aquaculture,” said Requejo at the meeting.
Authorities of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic and Uruguay attended the meeting, which was chaired by Peru.
The event concluded with the development of a set of recommendations lead by FAO, which will be presented at the Regional Conference of that body, to be held from 29 February to 3 March in Mexico.
“This document underpins the importance of promoting aquaculture and inland fisheries, as a fundamental tool for food security,” the vice minister stressed.
He added that aquaculture in the countries of the region is associated with the development of rural populations with limited economic resources, and if efficiently and sustainably handled, it will help to mitigate and adapt to climate change, among others issues.
In this regard, COPESCAALC member countries agreed to recommend FAO to prioritize the strengthening of fisheries and aquaculture in the region, particularly in areas of common interest for member countries, such as aquaculture and fisheries enlargement systems, as well as health and safety, and processes of association and organization of fishermen and farmers.
Similarly, they suggest that priority should be given to assisting countries in the formulation and implementation of policies on fisheries and aquaculture for the strengthening of territorial rural development, and dissemination and assistance for the implementation of voluntary guidelines to ensure the sustainability of small-scale fisheries and those established by FAO for aquaculture in the region.
Finally, the recommendations are directed to the assistance to strengthen mechanisms for fishing and aquaculture monitoring, controlling and surveillance to ensure sustainable use of resources; reinforcement of fisheries and aquaculture community resilience to the effects of climate change; and the formulation of national and regional strategies for increased consumption of fish and seafood, with an emphasis on the inclusion of these products in school feeding programs and public procurement.
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