tilapia

" China's Tilapia production for 2006 was 1.07 MMT, up by 10 percent over 2005. Tilapia exports reached 200,000 MT (converted into raw fish), up 20 percent from last year. The rapid growth is driven by strong export and growing domestic demand. Production for 2007 is likely to continue growing if the per unit returns are still higher than other cultured species. Tilapia fillet exports are forecast to continue increasing, while Tilapia frozen whole will fall because of China’s labor cost advantage. The United States continues to be the largest destination, comprising 70 percent of China’s exports. The high growth rates for Tilapia production and exports are driven by strong domestic and overseas demand. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian are considered as the advantageous provinces in Tilapia production. Production growth is driven by strong exports and domestic demand as well. The export share increased from 7 percent in 2002 to 19 percent in 2005. The increased demand for Tilapia is due to the decreased marine catch of some fish with tilapia regarded as a good substitute. "