The 2020 Tilapia Industrial Conference kicked off in Maonan district, Maoming on July 26, aiming to further expand the sales channels of Maonan tilapia, build an investment attraction platform for aquatic products, and strengthen industrial exchanges.

A tilapia industrial exchange meeting was held the same day, with dozens of experts, representatives of tilapia processing enterprises, tilapia farmers, and distributors taking part.

In addition, a tilapia food and culture carnival, a tilapia live-streaming promotion meeting, and a tilapia cooking contest were carried out to enrich the occasion.

Tilapia was introduced to Maoming in the 1950s. The city currently has a tilapia cultivation area of nearly 260,000 mu (17,333 hectares).

Several key cooperation projects are signed at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tilapia Industrial Conference in Maonan district of Maoming on July 26. [Photo by Min Can/mm111.net]

Maonan district has been boosting the development of the tilapia industry since 2002. So far, the seedling output of the district accounts for more than 60 percent of Maoming's total.

Five enterprises in Maonan have obtained certification for pollution-free aquatic products or certificates of origin (C/Os), while six enterprises were recognized as healthy breeding demonstration farms by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

There are currently more than 50 high-quality varieties of tilapia in Maonan, such as "Ji Ao Tilapia," which was cultivated by Guangdong Maoming Weiye Tilapia Breeding Farm and recognized as a "National New Aquatic Product Variety" by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2015.

The Provincial Modern Agriculture Industrial Park for Maonan Tilapia has built up four bases for tilapia seedlings, marketable fishes, fodder, and export processing.

The park's annual output of high-quality tilapia seedlings is 800 million, and the annual processing capacity of tilapia exceeds 40,000 metric tons. Its tilapia industry chain has an output value of more than 800 million yuan ($114 million).

Maonan currently boasts more than 30 tilapia farms that cover a continuous area of more than 100 mu, as well as 12 specialized cooperatives in the district. The tilapia-related products, including frozen tilapia fillets, fish oil, and fish meal, have been exported to 49 countries and regions around the world.