Budget execution data to which Lusa had access this Friday, May 17, shows that fishing production in Mozambique grew by almost 25% in the first quarter, to 107,077 tonnes, driven by aquaculture.
According to government figures, this is 20.5% of the total target of 522,671 tonnes, between fishing and aquaculture, set for the whole of 2024. Industrial aquaculture grew the most from January to March, more than doubling its volume compared to the same period in 2023, to 1596 tonnes, 31.6% of the target for the whole of 2024.
According to the agency’s explanation, the budget execution report for the first quarter highlights that in industrial aquaculture ‘there is a seaweed production initiative in Nampula province, which contributed 60 tonnes in the period under review’.
‘Live crab and live lobster, caught in maritime waters and kept in production establishments for export, contributed 621 tonnes and three tonnes respectively to aquaculture production, which led to a positive performance in this sub-sector,’ it reads.
Small-scale aquaculture, on the other hand, fell by 7.1% to 588 tonnes.
In terms of volume, artisanal fishing continued to lead the way, with 101,056 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 23.8%, with the province of Zambézia, in the centre, leading the way (26% of the total), followed by industrial and semi-industrial fishing, with 3,837 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 19.2%.
According to a report on budget execution from January to December 2023, previously reported by Lusa, fishing production in Mozambique reached 496,373 tonnes in 2023, a growth of 9% in one year and above the targets set.
Artisanal fishing led the way, with 466,491 tonnes in 2023, an increase of 7.8%, followed by commercial fishing (industrial and semi-industrial), with 20,230 tonnes and an increase of 16.4%, while aquaculture production grew 73.1%, to 9553 tonnes.
Government
In commercial fishing, shrimp led last year’s production, with 3041 tonnes, an increase of 18.7% compared to the same period in 2022.
Aquaculture in Mozambique is carried out on an industrial level and on a small scale, producing, in addition to various types of fish, shrimp, crab and lobster, mainly in the provinces of Tete, Gaza and Maputo. Despite this performance, production was affected in 2023 by ‘excessive rains that caused flooding’ in Maputo, as well as the passage of Cyclone Freddy twice, first in the south, particularly in Inhambane province, and then in the centre and north of the country, with a greater impact on Zambézia province.