Cultivating Prosperity: The Future of Aquaculture in Southern Mozambique

The World Bank's report "Aquaculture Dynamics: Constraints and Opportunities for Aquaculture Development in Southern Mozambique" explores the challenges and opportunities facing the aquaculture sector in Southern Mozambique. Key issues include climate change, high feed costs, and governance inefficiencies. However, with its favorable climate, market demand, and potential for job creation, the region is ripe for development. The report recommends improving research, extension services, governance, and production models to achieve sustainable growth.

Mozambique’s aquaculture sector, especially in the southern regions, holds immense potential for growth and development. The World Bank's recent report, "Aquaculture Dynamics: Constraints and Opportunities for Aquaculture Development in Southern Mozambique," sheds light on the industry's current state, identifying significant challenges and opportunities.

Navigating the Challenges

Despite over three decades of investment, Mozambique's aquaculture sector is still in its nascent stages. In 2021, the sector's production was estimated at 4,123 metric tons, valued at approximately USD 6.9 million. However, several critical challenges hamper its growth. Mozambique is highly susceptible to extreme weather events such as floods, cyclones, and droughts, which are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. These events pose direct and indirect threats to aquaculture, causing sea-level rise, altering rainfall patterns, and increasing disease risks among aquatic species. High feed costs, poor coordination in the fry (young fish) value chain, and the high cost of seed and fingerlings are significant economic barriers. The sector's small size and underdeveloped value chain further exacerbate these issues, making it difficult for farmers to achieve economies of scale. Inefficiencies in governance and limited connections between various stakeholders restrict sector coordination and development. Additionally, administrative burdens place time and cost pressures on both new and existing aquaculture actors.

Unlocking the Potential

Despite these challenges, the report identifies several opportunities for aquaculture development in Southern Mozambique. The region's favorable climate and infrastructure make it suitable for aquaculture, with potential for various commodities including tilapia, mussels, catfish, sea cucumber, seaweeds, freshwater shrimps, carps, clams, milkfish, and mullet. There is significant demand for aquatic products, particularly in urban centers like Maputo, Inhambane, Xai-Xai, and Maxixe. This demand presents a lucrative opportunity for expanding aquaculture production. The aquaculture sector has the potential to reduce poverty and create jobs, especially for women and youth, who make up a substantial part of the workforce. By fostering inclusive growth, the sector can contribute to broader socioeconomic development goals. The tourism and catering industry represents a significant opportunity to increase demand for aquaculture products, providing a stable market for producers.

Strategic Recommendations

The report outlines several recommendations to address the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities. Supporting research and development is crucial. This includes mapping areas with potential for aquaculture and conducting a mid-term review of the Aquaculture Development Strategy. Enhanced R&D will help identify best practices and innovative solutions to current challenges. Improving extension services and aquatic animal health through coordinated actions and network development within the public and private sectors is essential. This will ensure that farmers receive the necessary support and training to improve their practices and outputs. Enhancing fingerling production and supporting aquaculture feed production will reduce costs and improve quality. By making high-quality inputs more accessible, farmers can achieve better yields and profitability. Strengthening governance structures and developing productive alliances for aquaculture producers will improve sector coordination. Initiatives like the Aquaculture Desk (Balcão do Aquacultor) can help streamline processes and foster collaboration among stakeholders. Supporting resilient aquaculture models, stocking artificial dams, and seasonal ponds, and financing the commercial aquaculture value chain are critical steps. These efforts will help build a robust and sustainable aquaculture industry. Implementing environmental and social impact assessments, safeguards, and monitoring tools, along with gender-responsive actions, will ensure that the sector's growth is inclusive and sustainable.

Moving Forward

Addressing the identified constraints while leveraging available opportunities can lead to sustainable and resilient development of the aquaculture sector in Southern Mozambique. Coordinated efforts between the public and private sectors, targeted investments, and supportive policies are essential to achieving the desired growth and development outcomes. By overcoming the challenges and harnessing the opportunities, Mozambique's aquaculture sector can become a cornerstone of economic growth, food security, and social development in the region.