"Aquaculture has been identified as a vehicle that will drive production and diversification," said Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, about the tilapia hatchery project in St. Catherine.
Photo: Wenderson Araujo / Adobe Stock.
Committed to boosting aquaculture in the country, the Government of Jamaica has begun construction of the tilapia hatchery in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, announced last year.
According to the release of Jamaica Information Service, the total investment of the project - partly funded by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with support from the World Bank - is JMD 574 million (EUR 3.4 million - USD 3.7 million).
"It is a very crucial project that will help Jamaica achieve food security," said Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony. "We are always seeking to find new innovative and sustainable ways to strengthen the sector, and aquaculture has been identified as a vehicle that will drive production and diversification."
During his speech, Green also said there is a "tremendous demand" for tilapia on the island, but "a vast amount" of what is consumed is imported due to limited production in the country. The Minister further noted that Jamaica was once an exporter of freshwater fish, and it should return to that position. "This project will make that possible," he said of the new tilapia hatchery in St. Catherine.
"The outcome of this effort is the overall improvement of the infrastructure, which is associated with seed stock, and other operational activities for the Aquaculture Division," the Minister said. Currently, Jamaica is producing 500,000 (or 35%) of the advanced fry and fingerlings annually.
Now, this new hatchery is expected to produce up to five million advanced fry per year, which will result in significant increases in the reliable production of advanced tilapia fingerlings, which in turn will give farmers better access to improved tilapia seed stock.
When the hatchery project at Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, was unveiled last year, it was said that it would turn Jamaica's aquaculture sector around 180 degrees. Now, Minister Green has highlighted that, in addition to the production itself, a significant part of this project is dedicated to providing training to hatchery operators in the management and operation of both the facility and the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology.
"Other notable outcomes from this project include the revitalisation of unused ponds and new entrants to the industry, an increase in economic activity and employment in the aquaculture sector, and the promotion of tilapia value-addition and processing, due to the anticipated increased production," Floyd Green said.
The project has a climate-smart component, which will allow for the mitigation of environmental problems through features such as reduced water use, an off-grid solar system and a rainwater harvesting system. In addition, its biosecure nature will ensure there is total control over the condition of the fish, including adverse environmental events such as disease and bad weather, thus improving the quality of the fish produced.
