Tilapia production expected to climb 4.5% in 2017

Tilapia production expected to climb 4.5% in 2017

Global tilapia production will reach around 5.5 million metric tons this year, up from 5.3 million last year, but is predicted to increase a further 4.5 percent in 2017 hitting 5.8 million metric tons, according to Ragnar Tveteras, business economist at University of Stavanger.

China is still the leading producer of tilapia with around 1.7 million metric tons, followed by Indonesia with just over 1 million and then Egypt with 665,300 metric tons on average.

Pangasius production, meanwhile, also continues to climb, and Vietnam still represents more than 50 percent of production.

Production of pangasius from the major producing countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam is expected to reach around 2.2 million metric tons in 2016 but climb to more than 2.5 million from these countries in 2018.

Of these countries, Indian production will see the most growth, increasing from around 447,500 metric tons this year to around 640,000 metric tons in 2018 -- up 43 percent.

Total production of catfish species, including pangasius, is expected to reach nearly 4.9 million metric tons in 2018, up from 4.4 million this year, said Tveteras.