Comprehensive plan for import substitution - The third part in a series

by Dr Antonio Garza de Yta, President, World Aquaculture Society (WAS)

In this article I will try to finish what I consider to be transcendental issues for the future of aquaculture in Mexico, a campaign to promote the consumption of fish and shellfish, a market access and digitization program and finally, associativity.
 

Although a campaign to promote the consumption of fish and shellfish might sound like something logical and easy, not making mistakes in its execution is still very important.

A well-executed campaign is about promoting national products, but without demeaning imported fish and shellfish, since this would be shooting ourselves in the foot; a negative campaign affects all fish and shellfish. We must also be careful not to exacerbate the issue by trying to promote only products that come from certified fisheries, as we run the enormous risk of leaving small producers and fishermen out of the markets.

It is proven that campaigns which focus on infants have the greatest impact when attempting to promote the consumption of fish, so we have to make every effort to ensure that the benefits of both responsible fishing, aquaculture and the consumption of fish and seafood are part of the plans in our country’s educational programs as soon as possible.

We have already had very successful plans, such as the “Chun Tachun, let's eat tuna” campaign, and there are other programs on the continent such as “Semana do Peixe” in Brazil, “Let’s eat fish” in Peru or the same program “Omega 3 Nutrition for all” from Tamaulipas; with their high impact even recognised by the FAO, so we do not have to start from zero!

Market access
In terms of an increased need for market access and a digitisation program, one of the main problems for small producers is the difficulty of accessing markets directly.

If the pandemic has left us something positive, it is a change in the consumer's mentality and a wider acceptance of digital commerce. This is a golden opportunity for aquaculture in the sense that we can reinvent ourselves and the way that we work, so that the product can be marketed from the producers, whatever their level of production, directly to the final consumer.

In addition, as a short-term challenge, probably the biggest we will face, would be the digitisation of the sector.

This is not limited to selling or buying online, but goes much further, from monitoring water parameters, through inventory control and ending with the scheduling of harvests, processing and product distribution through artificial intelligence.

It may sound like science fiction, but it is already a reality in several primary production industries, including salmon farming. We have to bet on entering this trend, or else we will be left isolated, especially from the markets that can pay more for fresh and quality products; condemning us to depending on third parties.

Read more, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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