Governance and responsible investment
Towards blue transformationFocus on consumers and the market
Innovation and knowledge sharing |
Market-driven aquaculture development
Market-oriented production is key to securing a sound, attractive and fair market for farmed aquatic foods, and to building a positive regional image for aquaculture and its products. However, in Mediterranean and Black Sea countries, aquaculture remains a highly fragmented sector with uneven negotiating power along the value chain. The producers – who are mostly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – lack the ability to proactively respond to emerging market issues and regulatory initiatives. In order to successfully transform the regional aquaculture sector, these producers need to be integrated into modern supply chains and supported so they may capitalize on industry and market opportunities and multiply positive socio-economic returns. They must also be provided with better access to market data to facilitate the development of production plans, marketing plans and supply–demand forecasts.
For these reasons, the GFCM is driving activities to aid the shift from a production-oriented approach to one that is market-oriented, and working to enhance the role of farmers’ organizations and multistakeholder platforms in marketing and promotion.
GFCM ACTIONS
- Enhancement of national and regional aquaculture market data collection and statistical systems.
- Training and capacity-building for farmers on market requirements and innovation in algae, shellfish and finfish aquaculture in order to increase their competitiveness, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
- Preparation of a manual on the GFCM’s new data collection system for aquaculture production statistics, production centres and market information.
- Regional training on advanced aquaculture data collection systems.
RESOURCES
- Workshop on aquaculture farmers and farmer organizations: promoting good practices to boost responsible aquaculture | Pordenone, 20 February 2020
- Aquaculture market in the Black Sea: country profiles | EN