–says Agriculture Minister

ALTHOUGH Guyana is the leading exporter of seabob shrimp globally, government is taking steps to increase investments and collaborations, so as to boost production and expand the list of international buyers.

This is according to Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who, in an invited comment to the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, said that the government has been, and will continue to be, supportive of the industry through its locally established trawler association.

“We will continue to work with the Guyana Trawler Association; we have been helping them, and we have been working along with them, helping them with devices such as tracking devices and so for the trawlers,” Minister Mustapha said, adding:
“Continuously, we will be working and giving the support to the Guyana Trawler Association and to individual trawlers so that we can increase the production of seabob.”

He further explained that the aim is to further magnify the country’s status as a major exporter of Atlantic seabob shrimp, which will ensure the long-term stability of the stock, and enhance individual wealth in the sector and beyond.

He said this is also in keeping with the country’s food security agenda, as Guyana continues to take the charge in reducing the Caribbean’s high food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

According to the January 2023 summary report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) titled, ‘The Seabob value chain in Guyana’, approximately 99 per cent of the average annual seabob catch (from 2015 to 2020) comes from the industrial channel, and 93 per cent of that amount is exported, mostly to the United States of America, where the demand is still high.

Between 2015 and 2020, three industrial seabob businesses in Guyana produced about 7, 600 tonnes of peeled seabob annually (17,000 tonnes of fresh, whole weight equivalent) of which about 93 per cent was exported to markets in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU), and seven per cent was sold to regional supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants.

The Guyana seabob fishery received conditional Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation in 2019.

The 76 licensed trawlers owned by the three largest industrial companies, along with the 11 independently-owned trawlers that they employ, are responsible for 87 per cent of all fishing activity.

The report explained that key opportunities are available, with a strong demand from the United States of America and the European Union for increased volumes of higher-value seabob, if stock issues can be addressed, and bigger shrimp can be caught; and strong domestic demand for fresh, minimally processed (that is peeled) seabob that meets food safety and quality requirements can be sold to restaurants and supermarkets to meet projected demand by the tourism and oil-and-gas sectors.

Guyana will, however, be supported by the ongoing global fish value-chain development programme, FISH4ACP being implemented by the FAO, which will see the country focusing on making fisheries and aquaculture value chains more productive and sustainable, with an emphasis on supporting women, given their crucial role in fish value chains.

According to the FAO, the seabob shrimp value chain in Guyana is one of 12 value chains competitively selected from over 70 proposals worldwide for support from the FISH4ACP programme, which is being implemented by the FAO, in collaboration with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) to make the fisheries and aquaculture value chains more productive and sustainable.

Already, studies have been conducted, and design works have been completed during 2021 and early 2022 to conclude a functional analysis of the value chain.

The report stated that Guyana would have strengthened its position as a leading exporter of seabob shrimp, globally, by “ensuring a sustainable and resilient value chain for seabob across the industrial and artisanal channels, that is well-regulated and supported by data, with improved infrastructure for artisanal fishers and empowerment of women across both channels.”

Guyana harvests 20,000 tonnes of seabob annually, at an estimated value of US $50 million.

Guaranteeing the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in Guyana will help to advance food and nutrition security, economic success, and the creation of jobs, the report added.