Green-water Tilapia Culture: A Cost-effective Solution

Cutting cost by reducing feed is a good way to make tilapia production more profitable.

- Nicholas James

 

In any intensive livestock production enterprise, the greatest operational cost is usually feed. Similarly, tilapia fed extruded pelletised feed in a Clear water production unit will result in a high-quality, but expensive, product.

Typically, the cost of feeding fish in these systems is as high as 60% of the selling price.If you add labour, transport and packaging costs, profit may be marginal. To mitigate these high input costs, a wholesale price of R40/ kg to R55/kg is usually realised. This is unaffordable to many in South Africa, and poses a high risk for the producer.

REDUCING FEEDING COSTS

Production prices such as these force tilapia producers to compete with chicken producers, as well as other readily available fish. To make tilapia more attractive to low income producers, as well as consumers, the cost of feeding the fish must be reduced.