UN expects the aquaculture sector to grow over 20% by 2030

According to a report issued by the Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the aquaculture sector is projected to grow by over 20% by 2030. The report also highlighted how the Asia-Pacific region's leadership is crucial in capturing fisheries and aquaculture, as it contributes over 70% of global production.

All these conclusions and more were presented at the 37th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC37), held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A total of forty countries in Asia and the Pacific attended the event.

Since 2018, there has not been such a large in-person gathering of the region's food and agriculture Ministers convened by FAO. This translates into the urgent necessity to recover from the pandemic and deal with the disruptions in food production and distribution that have affected many countries in the region since then.

Regarding this, Jong-Jin Kim, FAO's Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific said: "Food and agriculture are now at the center of the global development agenda and this is an opportunity for all of us, including civil society and private sector organizations to decisively reimagine and reshape agrifood systems for global economic, social and environmental benefits."

"This transformation will be important for you to maintain a sustainable environment and increase biodiversity while providing opportunities for decent jobs for people. That is the added value of modern farming," he explained.

Blue Transformation vision

The Blue Transformation is a United Nations initiative that recognizes the importance of aquatic food systems as drivers of employment, economic growth, social development, and environmental recovery.

During the APRC37, the Blue Transformation vision was adapted to Asia and the Pacific region "to increase the contribution of fisheries, aquaculture, and aquatic foods value chains to provide a more significant proportion of nutritious food and resilient livelihoods in the region."

In addition, it was recalled the importance of promoting sustainable aquaculture intensification, effective management of all fisheries, and upgraded value chains to ensure the social, economic, and environmental viability of aquatic food systems.

Finally, it was pointed out the need to enhance women's participation throughout the entire value chain. An "efficient" management and sustainable development of aquatic food systems, encompassing marine and freshwater environments like aquaculture and fisheries in the region, will allow better food and nutrition security and livelihoods.

Blue Transformation is aligned with the 2021 Declaration for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022–2031.