New tilapia farming regulations are strictly enforced and prices have soared!

Recently, China is gradually strengthening the supervision of tilapia farming, the Guangdong provincial government announced that from February 15, it will prohibit processing plants from purchasing tilapia from farms that have not obtained export certification. The move marks Guangdong becoming the second major production center, after Hainan, to implement stricter export agreements by 2025.

The new regulation is based on the "Measures for the Registration and Management of Farms for Export Aquatic Raw Materials" issued by the General Administration of Customs of China in 2024, and puts forward strict requirements for environmental inspections of farms, covering a number of emission standards. Processing executives in Guangdong pointed out that due to time constraints, some farms that lack sewage treatment facilities may face export difficulties in the short term.

The certification process requires farms to submit detailed information, including site images, processing plant contracts and information on water treatment facilities, and if false declarations are found, they will be punished.

According to customs statistics, Hainan exported 14,836 tons of frozen tilapia fillets in the first 11 months of 2024, almost double the amount exported by Guangdong Province (7,804 tons). Other Chinese provinces exported about 3,219 tons of frozen tilapia fillets.

After the implementation of the new regulations, industry insiders predict that market prices will be affected. The price of tilapia in Guangdong has risen by 0.2-0.4 yuan/kg, and the current factory price of 500-800 grams of tilapia is 9.8 yuan/kg ($1.34 / kg), up 0.2 yuan/kg from the previous week. The price in Hainan was stable at 9.6 yuan/kg

Reference: YUYIPAI