Sixth FISHCap webinar focuses on fisheries and aquaculture industry in Turkmenistan
Ankara – The sixth in the country webinar series on the state of the fishery and aquaculture industry was held on 28 April 2021, and focused on Turkmenistan. The event was organized within the scope of the project “Capacity Building for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Management in Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Turkey (FISHCap)”, which forms part of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP II), funded by the Government of the Republic of Turkey.
Initiatives have been intensified over recent years to develop the fisheries sector in Turkmenistan, a country with a 1 768-km coastline bordering the Caspian Sea. Sector priorities include closed fish-farming systems, the use of climate- and water-smart production systems for a wide range of fish species (including sturgeon, carp, tilapia and catfish), product diversification and self-efficient aquafeed production. The webinar explained that Turkmenistan has worked to transfer best fish-farming practices and technologies through technical capacity building and overseas collaboration, especially among companies.
The FISHCap project aims to increase national capacities and support initiatives to develop fisheries and aquaculture in the sub-region, including Turkmenistan. Accordingly, the webinar encouraged greater private sector involvement, with a view to creating a productive platform for stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities, and to share ideas about the industry’s vision for building and supporting regional dialogue for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries.
Conducted in English, Russian and Turkish, the webinar provided participants from across the sector with an opportunity to learn about both Turkmenistan’s potential and to exchange regional perspectives on the FISHCap project.
The opening remarks were delivered by Berdi Berdiyev, FAO National Correspondent in Turkmenistan, Turgay Türkyılmaz, Deputy Director-General of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey, and Haydar Fersoy, FAO Senior Fishery and Aquaculture Officer.
Berdiyev explained that the webinar was developed to help participants analyse the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Turkmenistan and to promote inter-industry cooperation and state involvement in the country. Fersoy pointed out that the information shared during the webinar will contribute to the publication of Turkmenistan’s National Aquaculture Sector Overview, as part of an FAO fact sheet series. Thanking the signatory countries of the project, Türkyılmaz reiterated that the FISHCap project contributes to the exchange of experiences on fisheries and aquaculture and serves to improve bilateral and multilateral relations among countries.
The opening remarks were followed by technical sessions in which the participants discussed the status and potential of the fisheries and aquaculture industry in Turkmenistan.
About the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; combat desertification; and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totaling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Turkey and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009-2015.
In 2014, Turkey and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Turkey Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with an additional fund of USD 20 million, bringing Turkey’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
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FISHCap webinar spotlights Tajikistan’s fishery and aquaculture industry