Aquaculture Crsp 22nd Annual Technical Report

Tilapia was introduced to Bangladesh in 1954. Culture of this species is still in its infancy compared to neighboring countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Despite many positive culture attributes of tilapia, culture in Bangladesh may be constrained by different technical, socio-economic, and institutional factors. Some attempts have been made by the Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, and Bangladesh Agricultural University over last decades to develop production technology and disseminate this through their own channels. However, production levels failed to increase despite reasonably high prices for tilapia. In order to better understand the causes of this problem, we reviewed published literature on tilapia in Bangladesh and conducted a nation-wide survey of farmers. The survey was designed to identify factors that constrain adoption of this species. Results indicated several technological and socioeconomic constraints impeding the adoption of tilapia culture in this country. Among the technological constraints, the perceptions were that this is difficult technology, there is not appropriate technical information and technical support, there is poor quality of seed, seed is limited in availability and high price, and that feed is also limited in availability.