The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University held a youth forum in Bishkek on the role of the aquaculture and fisheries sector in ensuring food security. UN FAO Office in the Kyrgyz Republic reports.
The event brought together the leaders of the fishing industry, representatives of government agencies, public associations, experts and university students studying aquaculture. The organizers gave the young generation the opportunity to demonstrate their involvement in solving the problems of development of the aquaculture and fisheries sector.
According to various estimates, over 20,000 tons of commercial fish were produced in the country in 2022. This is twice as much as in 2021.
At least 74 percent of the total is trout production, 9.3 percent is carp and 16.5 percent is other fish species.
«Indicators of domestic consumption of fish in the countries of Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, unfortunately, remain low. This shows a gap between supply and market demand for fish and fish products. At the same time, it is important to note that the Central Asian region has significant potential to contribute to the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture,» Kuvatbek Bapaev, Senior Policy Adviser of the FAO Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, said in his opening speech.
The second part of the forum was held in the format of a startup project competition. As Vadim Dosaev, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Fisheries of Kyrgyzstan, emphasized, participation in such events is a good chance for young people to demonstrate their level of training and ability to solve problems that are relevant for the aquaculture sector.
