A growing commitment to provide international assistance to aquaculture is evident (Table 1). A 1984 FAO Survey of External Assistance to the Fisheries Sector in Developing Countries from 1978 to 1983 (FAO Fisheries Circular No. 755) indicates that the share of total international aid to fisheries devoted to assistance to aquaculture development increased from 8.4% to 17.5%, averaging 14.3% during that period.
Table 1. External Assistance to Aquaculture, 1978-1983 inclusive
|
Donor |
Total ($US) |
% Share |
|
World Bank |
83 570 000 |
22.7 |
|
Asian Development Bank |
88 142 000 |
23.9 |
|
Inter-American Development Bank |
18 182 000 |
4.9 |
|
UN System and Trust Funds |
37 141 000 |
10.1 |
|
European Economic Community |
14 458 000 |
3.9 |
|
Japanese Bilateral Assistance |
12 066 000 |
3.3 |
|
Other Bilateral Assistance |
68 649 000 |
18.7 |
|
Other Donors 1/ |
45 859 000 |
12.5 |
|
Total External Assistance to Aquaculture |
368 067 000 |
100.0 |
|
Total External Assistance to Fisheries |
2 566 434 000 |
|
|
Percent Share of Aquaculture in Fisheries |
|
14.3 |
Source: FAO Fisheries Circular No. 755, Revision 1, 19841/ Includes African Development Bank, NGO, and TCDC Funds, OPEC, etc.
The major capital assistance donors have been the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Most capital aid for aquaculture to date (which can take the form of both loans and development grants) has been provided for development in Asia, mainly for inputs and facilities for the culture of higher-priced species such as shrimp. Recently, capital assistance has been concentrated more on credit-support projects which directly encourage the private sector to produce aquaculture products both for domestic and for export markets.
Multilateral technical assistance funds for aquaculture (particularly from UNDP and executed by FAO), have been provided mainly for infrastructural support through strengthening applied research, long- and short-term technical training, and extension services, and for needed linkages between public and private sector interests.
Bilateral aid agencies have maintained an equally strong interest in providing assistance for similar aspects of aquaculture development.
Future assistance to aquaculture is still vital for promoting adaptive technologies, marketing programmes, suitable credit and incentives, and encouraging policies which ensure that aquaculture contributes to long-term economic growth in each region. Future assistance must be directed particularly towards developing cohesive aquaculture policies which will help define clear national and regional fisheries-sector development objectives so that private investment is encouraged.
Assistance can contribute usefully to these economic objectives and help meet the growing world demands for fisheries products (Figure 1). Many recent documents on the aquaculture industry, such as the 1984 World Bank report (A Review of Bank Experience with Fisheries Development), and the FAO Circular No. 343 (The Potential of the Fisheries to Provide Increased Food Supplies for the Developing Countries and the Requirements for Investment), state that the future growth of aquaculture and its successful establishment as a viable global industry are dependent principally on the continued effective application of financial assistance and of private investment rather than on other factors such as advances in technology.
Figure 1. Current and Future Trends in Aquatic Supplies
Source: FAO Fisheries Circular No. 722 (1982)
From 1978 to 1983 (Table 1), total external assistance to aquaculture development was $US 368 million, of which $US 190 million originated from the three major international development banks (World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank). Bilateral aid sources provided $US 80 million, the UN System and Trust Fund Projects $US 37 million, and the EEC $US 15 million, while $US 46 million came from other sources including the African Development Bank and OPEC, NGO, and TCDC funds.
Total international assistance to fisheries is not likely to increase substantially in the years ahead. Most donor agencies indicate that their resources for assistance are decreasing. Therefore, given:
(1) that a total for financial assistance for the next ten years is potentially similar to that for the last decade,(2) the continuous decline in monetary values,
(3) the enlarged base for aquaculture assistance worldwide as the sector expands, and
(4) the virtual stagnation forecast for capture fisheries landings, it is essential that the limited money available is carefully directed.
The major potential for growth in fisheries production is through aquaculture. The share of assistance funding for the fisheries sector made available for aquaculture development must continue to increase, beyond the 17.5% it had reached in 1983, if production targets for aquaculture are to be reached.
The following paper briefly outlines economic prospects for the aquaculture industry to assist donors in setting priorities for planning purposes.
