According to the Department of Rural Economy (Deral) of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply, the expectation is to reach the mark of 170 thousand tons of meat of fish. The increase has been boosted by tilapia, which represents 80% of the total volume of the State.

Optimistic prediction - "This optimistic forecast is based mainly on the incentive to fish consumption and also the entry of new industries in the segment, increasing the offer and visibility of the product to the consumer," says Dermar fish farms analyst Edmar Gervásio.

Prices - "With a greater supply of fish protein and an optimistic scenario, we believe that the prices to the final consumer should be stable and even present a reduction bias, mainly due to the increase in competition in the supermarket gondola," he says.

Superior - Fish consumption in Brazil is around 10 kg per capita / year, below what FAO estimates as ideal, of 12 kg / year. "The consumption of fish has been increasing year by year and in percentages higher than other meats, such as beef and chicken, which are the most consumed in Brazil today," says Gervásio.

Estimate - In 2018, Deral estimates that Paraná has reached 140 thousand tons of fish produced. The consolidated survey of the information should be released in June. If confirmed, it will be an increase of approximately 15% compared to 2017, when 122 thousand tons were accounted for.

Productivity - The strong growth of the sector stems from the increase in productivity. "It has gone from 4 to 6 tons per hectare to an average around 15-20 tons / ha, reaching 35-50 tons / ha per cycle in some properties in land nurseries," says Emater's regional aquaculture coordinator Toledo, Gelson Hein.

"All this is due to the increase in production technology with mechanical aeration, automatic feeders, bioremediators, improvement of fish genetics and improvement of the quality of the fish feed", cites.

Producer - Claudio Schulz bet on the activity and experienced this jump in the production of fish. In 2002, it began to produce organic tilapia in Maripá in the West. Attracted by the prospect of financial returns, in 2006 he migrated to conventional tilapia. "In the first year, it was 23 tons.I increased year by year.In 2015, I made a big investment in automation and expanded production to 65 tons.I delivered 79 tons last year," he says.

Allies - On the property of three alqueires of land, it has 16 thousand square meters of water blade, with capacity to produce 90 tons. The tilapia is sold to the cooperative Copisces, of Toledo. In the technical matter, Emater is one of the great allies in the expansion and modernization of the creation of tilapia in the region, along with universities, like Unioeste, that have courses of Fishing Engineering ", he emphasizes.

Emater - The Government of Paraná offers technical support for the development of fish farming, mainly to family farmers. The Emater - Paranaense Institute of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension works from the fomentation until the consolidation of the activity in the property.

Concerns - "Technical assistance to fish farming on farms today has been the major focus of our work, which is concerned about water quality, correct feed supply, fish welfare and proper management of effluents, and withdrawal of the nursery fish, "says Gelson Hein, regional aquaculture coordinator at Emater de Toledo. The institute offers from support to commercialization in fairs and fish-pays even for the installation of slaughterhouses and slaughterhouses.

Environmental licensing - Emater also offers producers environmental licensing to the competent body, which enables access to credit plans. "Producers who wish to expand or start the fish farming activity are oriented and can also make their technical and economical feasibility projects, as well as monitoring the implementation works on the property with our technicians," Hein advises.

Importance - Captive and captive fishing activities still do not represent 1% of the Gross Value of Production (VBP) of Paraná State. But they have regional importance for several municipalities in the state. 60% of the VBP and 66% of the fish production come from the West, mainly from the regions of Toledo and Cascavel, where tilapia represents more than 95% of the total.

Marine fish - Marine fish have been losing space in the VBP due to the investments being made for the production of tilapia in the State. Currently, 84% of the VBP of the Paraná activity comes from freshwater fish and 16% from the marine. Most fish production is done in landfills and a small part in network tanks.

Productivity - In the West of the State, the growth of recent years is due to the increase in productivity, as a result of investments in technology, and also to the entry of Copacol and C. Vale cooperatives, which account for two thirds of the volume produced in the region and continue in expansion. "They work in integration systems, such as pigs and poultry, and soon glimpse export markets," says Gelson Hein of Emater. Currently, the volume of fish that Brazil exports is still unimpressive. (News Agency of Paraná)

Source: Cooperative Parana
Image: Rondoniagora