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The opening of the hatchery contributes to realising the goals of Timor-Leste’s National Aquaculture Development Strategy (2012-2030), which includes increasing annual farmed fish production to 12,000 tons by 2030 and supporting an increase in annual fish consumption to 12 kg per year.

The fourth private genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) hatchery has opened on the south coast of Timor-Leste, marking another step in the country’s aquaculture development.

The hatchery was inaugurated by Marcus da Cruz, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Forestry and Philip Hewitt, New Zealand Ambassador to Timor-Leste.

“The Colocau GIFT hatchery is expected to produce more than five million GIFT monosex GIFT fingerlings per year, which will be supplied to local fish farmers in Manufahi and nearby municipalities,” said Hewitt at the event.

“This will have great advantages for the aquaculture sector, enabling fish farmers to produce more farmed tilapia, thereby making it easier for consumers to access fresh fish in the future. This will help combat malnutrition among children in Timor-Leste.”

The Colocau GIFT hatchery was established in partnership with the Same Construction business, the hatchery owner, as part of the Partnership for Aquaculture Development in Timor-Leste Phase 2 (PADTL2) project (2020-2024).

The project is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and led by WorldFish in partnership with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fisheries (MALFF).

The Timor-Leste Government is committed to scaling aquaculture to enhance the livelihoods nutrition and food security of rural households, explained Marcus da Cruz at the event.

The Colocau GIFT hatchery is the fourth of its kind to be set up by the PADTL2 project. The other hatcheries are spread across the country’s west, east and centre-Leohitu (Bobonaro municipality), Parlamento (Lautem municipality), and Hera (Dili municipality).

These efforts are critical to realising the goals of the National Aquaculture Development Strategy (2012-2030), including increasing annual farmed fish production to 12,000 tons by 2030 and supporting an increase in annual fish consumption to 12 kg per year.

The opening of the hatchery contributes to

Between June and September 2022, the project’s fish breeding team produced more than 7 million mola hatchlings

At WorldFish, scientists achieved a significant milestone in June 2022 by successfully inducing the breeding of mola for the first time in India at its partner hatchery, Biswal Aquatech in Odisha, standardising breeding protocol for mola. The breakthrough involved designing breeding tanks fed with a steady shower of oxygen-rich water from an aeration tower to improve breeding and larval survival.

The innovation opened the door for mass mola production with minimal risk of animal disease spread, improving availability and access to nutrient-rich food in rural communities in Odisha.

Between June and September 2022, the project’s fish breeding team produced more than 7 million mola hatchlings, which were either sold or distributed free of charge to farmers, who used them primarily for household consumption and sale. Aiming to benefit women in particular, the project collaborated with the Odisha Government’s Mission Shakti initiative, distributing approximately 15,000 fries to women’s self-help groups for stocking in publicly owned tanks.

“Previously, mola was absent in our gram panchayat tank. After the introduction of mola in our pond by WorldFish and the Department of Fisheries, we are able to harvest and consume mola frequently,” said Gurubari Khilar, a mother of two young children and a member of Maa Manasa Women Self-Help Group that received the mola fry from the hatchery.

“This success has motivated other Mission Shakti self-help groups in the area to take up fish farming in gram panchayat tanks on a large-scale basis. The technical collaboration with WorldFish was very instrumental in the successful implementation of this scheme,” said, Sujata R Karthikeyan, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha.

Between June and September 2022, the project’s

Artemia is widely used as live feed for farmed fish and can thrive in highly saline water

The Artemia4Bangladesh project, initiated by WorldFish, introduced Artemia or brine shrimp pond culture in the Cox Bazar region of Bangladesh to address the issue of poor fish productivity. The region, which produces 95 per cent of the salt in Bangladesh, only provides minimal income to around 1.5 million people employed in the industry.

Artemia is widely used as live feed for farmed fish and can thrive in highly saline water. It contains essential nutrients, such as over 50 per cent protein, essential amino acids, and fatty acids that are crucial for child development. This makes it a potential food source for people as well.

The project established around 150 farms and trained 1,500 farmers on Artemia pond culture, homestead aquaculture and vegetable gardening, and shrimp, tilapia, carp, and mola aquaculture. These interventions allowed farmers to supplement their income from salt production by selling Artemia to local shrimp hatcheries, nurseries, grow-out farms, and fish, shrimp, and crab producers. As a result, their income increased by up to 400 per cent.

WorldFish also developed recipes to introduce Artemia into the local diet. For example, Artemia kebabs are becoming popular in the area as an alternative to meat kebabs, and an Artemia omelette was created as a healthy option to support nutrition for women and children. These recipes were demonstrated with tastings to more than 200 salt-farming families.

Artemia not only provides an alternative source of income and nutrition for the community but also helps them adapt to the impacts of climate change. As water salinity increases, the coastal community’s agriculture and aquaculture productivity decrease. However, Artemia’s resilience to high salinity and temperatures ensures stable incomes for farmers in the face of climate change.

Artemia is widely used as live feed

This collaboration, supported by the World Bank, aims to empower smallholder fish producers, introduce innovative technologies and improve the livelihoods of farmers in 15 districts of the state

WorldFish, the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fisheries have joined forces to boost climate-resilient aquaculture in Odisha. In a momentous event, a tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed with a focus on climate resilience for smallholder aquatic food producers. The signing ceremony, attended by esteemed government officials, World Bank representatives and WorldFish staff, marked a significant step towards advancing the state’s aquaculture sector. 

Smruti Ranjan Pradhan, the director of fisheries for Odisha, Rashmi Ranjan Nayak, the project director of OIIPCRA and an additional secretary to the Government of Odisha and Arun Padiyar, WorldFish lead in India signed the MoA in the presence of Anu Garg, the development commissioner-cum-additional chief secretary of the Department of Water Resources in Odisha, Suresh Kumar Vashisth, the principal secretary of the Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development in Odisha and Arabinda Kumar Padhee, the principal secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment in Odisha. 

The agreement, facilitated by the Odisha Community Tank Development and Management Society (OCTDMS), aims to intensify and diversify agricultural production while enhancing climate resilience. Under the agreement, WorldFish will provide technical assistance and knowledge support for the Odisha Integrated Irrigation and Climate Resilience Agriculture (OIIPCRA) initiative. 

“Our previous collaboration with WorldFish had a significant impact whereby the seed production in Odisha doubled thus ensuring the state’s self-sufficiency through the adoption of WorldFish’s early breeding technology and facilitation in adopting reservoir cage culture,” said, Suresh Kumar Vashisth Principal Secretary Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Odisha

“In Odisha, the government is particularly focused on promoting climate-resilient aquatic food production systems in these public water bodies. This project serves as an economically beneficial activity and provides incentives to the local community,” said, Arun Pandiyar India Lead WorldFish.

The OIIPCRA project will benefit smallholder farmers across 15 districts, including Balangir, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Boudh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nawarangpur, Nuapada and Subarnapur. By focusing on adaptation and mitigation strategies, species diversification and the adoption of new technologies, the project aims to enhance production, increase income and reduce the vulnerability of resource-poor farmers to climate shocks. 

This collaboration, supported by the World Bank,