As our business was very new, there was a lot of outside technology

Today, on the contrary, Brazil ends up teaching a technology class

YesCast: Aqua Market and research in Brazil

In the inaugural episode of YesCast, podcast from YesSinergy®, we have the presence of Sidney Fernandes, National Sales Manager Aqua, PetFood and Premix at Yes, Dr. Marcos Tavares Dias, Researcher at Embrapa Amapá in the Aquaculture Health area, and Vanderson Natale Dias, Researcher and Consultant at VND Aquicultura.

Yes specialist Sidney Fernandes, when asked about the aqua market, points out that the activity is one of the newest in the country's animal protein production, being developed over the last 20 years and highlighted in the last five.

“Brazil has been growing. We have different production systems than in the past – hollow tank and net tank – which end up providing a more favorable condition,” says Sidney.

But, he recalls, Brazilian production is still very small: per capita consumption of fish in Brazil is below the world average – 10 kilos per capita against 20 kilos.

Even so, the agro industry has been investing in the segment: companies, such as Yes, have placed fish farming in their product portfolio, which has helped to expand exports.

“I really believe that technology, going forward, is something to be much more observed and applied so that we can get out of this smaller production,” says Sidney. "In Brazil, the estimated production of fish in 2019 was around 720,000 tons and, in 2020, even with the issue of the pandemic, we should produce around 750 or 760 thousand tons."

When asked about the technology for the producer, Sidney says that Brazil has developed over time. “As our business was very new, there was a lot of outside technology. Today, on the contrary, Brazil ends up teaching a technology class," highlights the specialist from YesSinergy®.

He highlights a variable that our country has that forces us to train ourselves more and more: the favorable tropical climate, with two moments of production that require different care – winter (where we have challenges regarding the zootechnical performance of fish, since they they eat less and are more susceptible to some diseases) and summer (on the one hand, there is an increase in consumption, but there is also difficulty with water pollution, which can contribute to the reduction of zootechnical results).

Dr. Marcos Tavares Dias, researcher from Embrapa Amapá, highlights the importance of research in aquaculture: “Embrapa is also a technology dissemination company, which has been working especially with tambaqui and pirarucu, trying to increase production, so general.".

He says that Embrapa has been working with immunomodulators that can especially improve the production of pirarucu, a species whose production is challenging. Immunomodulators help improve the immunity of these fish, increasing their survival and growth.

Embrapa has also been working to offer Amazonian producers knowledge about immunomodulators and immunostimulants in the form of technical publications so that they can better use these resources in their production.

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Founded in 2008, the YesSinergy® it combines animal welfare, food safety and sustainability to produce natural additives that replace antibiotics for animal health and nutrition. Since 2016, YES has been part of Aqua Capital, an investment fund aimed at companies in the agribusiness sector in Brazil and South America.