MADAGASCAR – Madagascar is gearing up to host the International Poultry Expo from 12-15 September this year, an event organized by Aviana at the Le Plus Grand Hall in Antananarivo.

Livestock plays a crucial role in the country’s economy, with approximately 60% of rural families relying on it for their livelihoods.

Extensive livestock rearing, particularly of pigs and poultry, dominates the animal production landscape, alongside a burgeoning modern poultry industry centered around urban centers.

In contrast, the fisheries sector garners more attention along Madagascar’s western coast, especially in the province of Toliara.

Madagascar’s aquaculture production saw steady growth over the past two decades, increasing from 7,980 tonnes in 2000 to 16,396 tonnes in 2021.

However, this growth rate of 3.49 percent annually was lower than the averages seen in neighboring sub-regions, the wider region, and globally.

Inland aquaculture production, which accounted for 31.1 percent of Madagascar’s total aquaculture output in 2000, declined to 8.1 percent by 2021.

This contrasts with Eastern Africa’s 73.8 percent and the global average of 44.7 percent for inland aquaculture share.

The region presents ample opportunities for the development of shrimp and prawn aquaculture, as well as freshwater aquaculture focusing on common carp and tilapia, utilizing paddy fields, ponds, and cages.

This expo comes on the heels of Madagascar’s recent strides towards enhanced fisheries transparency with the publication of its inaugural status report for the Fisheries Transparency Initiative in February.

The report, set to be updated annually, sheds light on critical fisheries information and data previously undisclosed, including regulations governing industrial fishing vessels and revenues generated from industrial fishing activities.

Despite the nation’s abundant marine resources, Madagascar’s 250,000 small-scale fishers continue to grapple with poverty, ranking among the world’s most impoverished.

These fishers face mounting challenges stemming from fisheries declines attributed to overfishing and the impacts of climate change.

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