Madan M. Dey

FISH CONSUMPTION AND FOOD SECURITY: A DISAGGREGATED ANALYSIS BY TYPES OF FISH AND CLASSES OF CONSUMERS IN SELECTED ASIAN COUNTRIES

ABSTRACT This paper discusses fish consumption and preference patterns for fish species by income groups, and by urban/rural divide in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The analysis is based on primary data collected by the WorldFish Center and its partner institutes by means of a survey of 5,931 households in the selected countries. The FAO database and other published materials were also used to analyze trends in fish consumption. Freshwater fish species constitute a major share in total per capita fish consumption in most of these countries. Pelagic and demersal marine fish are the main contributor to per capita total fish consumption in the countries with longer coastal boundaries (such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand), and in the coastal regions within each country. Results suggest that fish contributes between 15% and 53% of the total animal protein intake in these countries. Fish consumption varies widely with economic position of the households, in terms of both per capita consumption and type of fish species. Per capita fish consumption increases with increase in income. The share of fish protein in total animal protein expenditure is higher for lower income groups, demonstrating their dependence on fish as a source of animal protein. Poor people consume mostly low-price fish and rich people spend a significant portion of their fish budget on expensive fish. Per capita fish consumption is substantially higher in rural areas than in urban areas.

Analysis of demand for fish in Bangladesh

Abstract An analysis of fish consumption patterns, and how they are likely to change as income and relative price changes, is required to assess the welfare impact of technological and policy changes in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. This analysis is based on a matrix of price and income elasticities of demand for fish by type, as fish is a heterogeneous product and consumption patterns may differ by type of product. This paper presents estimates of fish demand elasticities by fish type for Bangladesh, using individual household expenditure data (5,667 households) collected by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in 1988/89. It uses a multistage budgeting framework that estimates a demand function for food in the first stage, a demand function for fish (as a group) in the second stage and a set of demand functions for fish by type in the third stage. Estimated demand elasticities vary across fish type and across income class. Among the various types of fish, carp have the highest (in absolute terms) own‐price elasticity. Income elasticities of all fish types consistently fall with the increase in per capita expenditure level of households, but none of the fish types become an inferior good at the highest income quartile. Dried fish has the lowest income elasticities for the richest quartile of the population.

Technical efficiency of tilapia growout pond operations in the Philippines

Abstract The determination of efficient production levels for tilapia growout operations, given the existing technology, is necessary to examine alternative options to increase productivity. If fanners are not making efficient use of existing technologies, improving their efficiency is usually more cost‐effective than introducing new technology. This paper examines the technical efficiency of tilapia growout operations in ponds in the Philippines. A stochastic production frontier with technical inefficiency effects model is specified and estimated. The estimated mean technical efficiency of the 78 farmers in the sample is 83%. Total farm area, education and age of the farmers are some of the factors affecting technical efficiency. Those with a larger farm area, higher age and a higher educational level attain higher technical efficiency. As growers in the Philippines have attained a high level of technical efficiency under existing technology, the introduction of new technology is a key to raising the productivity of tilapia farming. The genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) strain that has recently become available provides a promising new technology to raise the productivity and output of tilapia farming.

TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF FRESHWATER POND POLYCULTURE PRODUCTION IN SELECTED ASIAN COUNTRIES: ESTIMATION AND IMPLICATION

ABSTRACT The research documented in this article estimates the levels and determinants of farm-level technical efficiencies (TE) in freshwater pond polyculture systems in China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam. The levels of country-specific TE were estimated for different production intensity levels by estimating stochastic production frontier functions involving the model for technical inefficiency effects. The results were compared with estimates from past studies of aquaculture TE. It was found that yield, input levels, and TE increases in line with intensity levels. TE estimates ranged from 42% among extensive farms in Vietnam to 93% among intensive farms in China. For low intensity farms, increased technical efficiency, and the resulting increased productivity, could be achieved by increasing human capital (through effective and efficient training and extension), provision of basic infrastructure (such as roads), easier access to seed supplies, and security of tenure or a well-defined system of land use rights. Increasing technical efficiency and productivity among intensive farms will result more from the continuous development of new technology and cross-country technology transfer. However, the realization of these potential increases in TE depends on governments in these countries continuing to provide adequate support for freshwater aquaculture development.

Performance and nature of genetically improved farmed tilapia: A bioeconomic analysis

Abstract The International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), in collaboration with its partner organizations, has developed an improved strain of Nile tilapia (known as the GIFT strain) which shows superior performance in terms of growth and survival in on‐station conditions. The on‐station performance of the GIFT strain may, however, not be replicated in actual farm conditions. Before disseminating the GIFT strain, its performance and nature were evaluated in on‐farm conditions relative to the strains already being cultivated. This paper analyses the comparative performance of the GIFT strain on an average as well as on an efficient farm and assesses its nature in five Asian countries (i.e., Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). Ordinary least squares regression and tobit models are estimated on the average weight at harvest and on the survival rate, respectively, to assess the comparative performance of the GIFT strain on an average farm. Stochastic frontier functions for weight at harvest are also estimated to assess the comparative performance of the GIFT strain on an efficient farm. Results show a superior performance of the GIFT strain compared to the non‐GIFT strains on both average and efficient farms. On an average farm, the GIFT strain gives 18% higher body weight at harvest in China to 58% higher in Bangladesh. The breakeven price above variable cost is 7–36% lower for the GIFT strain than for the other Nile tilapia strains in use. The GIFT strain is a neutral technology with respect to feed and fertilizer use in all five countries, except Bangladesh.

The impact of genetically improved farmed Nile tilapia in Asia

Abstract The International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) and its research partners have recently developed a genetically improved Nile tilapia strain. This paper analyzes the potential impact of culturing the improved tilapia strain in five Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam), using a three‐step procedure. The steps are (1) to develop a model of the fish sector for each country using data from baseline surveys of producers and consumers and from secondary sources, (2) to construct ex ante impact indicators using data collected in on‐farm production trials, and (3) to analyze the impact of the use of the genetically improved Nile tilapia by incorporating the results of on‐farm trials into the fish sector model. The analysis indicates that the use of the genetically improved strain will benefit both producers and consumers offish.

Cold tolerance of three strains of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, in China

Abstract Tolerance of three strains (GIFT, Sudan 78, Egypt 88) of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus , to naturally decreasing temperature was evaluated and determined in the Shanghai area. GIFT had been selected for increased body weight. Nile tilapia began to die when the water temperature dropped to 11 °C, and 100% mortality had occurred by 7.4 °C. Low lethal temperature ranged from 11 to 8.4 °C for the GIFT strain, from 9.8 to 7.4 °C for the Sudan 78 strain and from 11 to 7.4 °C for the Egypt 88 strain. The LD 50 for low temperature among the three strains suggested that the GIFT line was less tolerant to low temperature than the other two strains and that there was no difference with respect to temperature tolerance between the Sudan 78 and the Egypt 88 strains. This has important implications for the application of genetically enhanced tilapia in cold climates when developed in warmer regions.

Socioeconomics of disseminating genetically improved Nile tilapia in Asia: An introduction

Aquaculture is considered a prime method for bridging the gap between the supply and demand for many fish commodities (Williams & Bimbao 1998; Dey & Bimbao 1998; Pullin et al. 1994) and it supplies a growing proportion of world fish consumption. Asia leads the world in aquaculture production. Tilapia farming has been one source of growth of aquaculture production in Asia. Its production has increased from 154,509 t in 1984 to 700,310 t in 1996, with an annual growth rate of 13%. The Peoples Republic of China, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan account for most farmed tilapia production in Asia (Table 1).

Current status of production and consumption of tilapia in selected Asian countries

Abstract An assessment of the status of production and consumption of tilapia in five Asian countries was made to provide a baseline for the analysis of the potential benefits of the introduction of a new, improved strain of Nile tilapia. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the profile of tilapia fanners and their farming systems, costs, returns and productivity of tilapia production, and fish consumption patterns in Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, using data from household surveys conducted by ICLARM and its partners in 1995–96. Farmers grow tilapia in varied farming environments depending on the nature of their farmland and on their investment capacity. Tilapia is cultured mainly in semi‐intensive systems on small and medium farms. The average farm size (pond area) of the surveyed pond operators varies from 0.60 ha (0.05 ha) in Bangladesh to 4.91 ha (1.56 ha) in the Philippines. In Asia, tilapia farming is very profitable. The productivity, costs of production and profitability of tilapia farms vary considerably among countries and production environments. Tilapia fanning is becoming increasingly commercial with a large proportion of production is marketed. Tilapia is consumed mainly by poor consumers because of its relatively low price compared to other fish species.

STATUS AND ECONOMICS OF FRESHWATER AQUACULTURE IN SELECTED COUNTRIES OF ASIA

ABSTRACT The paper discusses the status of freshwater aquaculture, and the productivity and cost effectiveness of alternative technologies in the major fish producing countries in Asia, such as Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The analysis is based on field survey data collected by the WorldFish Center and its partner research institutes, and supplemented by secondary information. The paper adopts descriptive techniques to compare the performance of each technology across the countries in terms of productivity, cost effectiveness and profitability. Results suggest that freshwater fish farming is generally profitable in Asia. The semi-intensive polyculture and monoculture of omnivorous and herbivorous species like carps and tilapia are likely to be more suitable for adoption by the poor farmers in Asia. Although the return from monoculture of carnivorous species such as prawn, snakehead and walking catfish is higher than that from culture of omnivorous and herbivorous species, it appears too capital intensive to be suitable for adoption by the resource poor farmers. The paper also performs econometric analysis to examine the determinants of fish production under polyculture and feed demand for the same. The results of the production function analysis reveal that further use of farm-based feed after a certain level of application cannot increase productivity as the law of diminishing marginal productivity sets in. Feed use is largely determined by the income and ownership status of the farmer. Provision of institutional credit and more secured access to the waterbodies would help poor farmers adopt appropriate aquaculture technologies.