Agriculture project cooperated by Belize and Taiwan held a successful tilapia farming workshop in Stann Creek district.
In order to improve the Tilapia Business in Belize, the GOB-ROC Aquaculture Project implemented a “Wonderful Tilapia Farming Workshop” in Independence High School on 8 June, 2016.
The project period of GOB-ROC Aquaculture Project is February 2012 to February 2017. Its total budget amount is US$ 2.5 million dollars which is funded by the Republic of China (Taiwan) Government. The principle project objective is to enhance the tilapia production industry in Belize, to improve the economic condition and nutrition of Belizeans living in rural areas.
There were more than 20 aquaculture producers and related professionals participating in this important event, which included members from the important international organizations of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the private sector (shrimp farmers) and official agricultural specialists.
During this workshop, the participants received important lectures for tilapia farming, which were: “Pond Construction and Planning for Tilapia Cultivation”, “Pond Management for Tilapia Cultivation” and “Marketing & Organization Strategies for Tilapia Cultivation”. Furthermore, the participants also got the “Secchi disk” and learned how to use it to measure the water quality of their ponds. In the last hour, the participants had the opportunity to learn and practice how to get their own real cost of their farming tilapia. With this information, the producers can know how to improve their product and still have reasonable profits from the selling of farmed tilapia.
As of today, there are still many Belizean consumers who have never tried the perfect taste of farmed tilapia, which is very different from the tilapia from the river; they have no muddy taste.
After this workshop, the tilapia producers will enhance their producing level and improve the quality and quantity for their farmed tilapia; so there will be more Belizean consumers who can have the various benefits from eating delicious farmed tilapia.
During this year, the GOB-ROC Aquaculture project has held two workshops to improve the tilapia business for small scale producers in Belize. In the rest of this year, there will be two more workshops in different districts. So if you are interested to have your own farmed tilapia business, these two other workshops could be your excellent opportunity.
To get more information, please email to: (secretary.aquaculture@agriculture.gov.bz) or call to 652-8767.
