U.S. Soybean Farmers Visit Egyptian Aquaculture Farms and Hatcheries

U.S. Soybean Farmers Promote Soy at Egyptian Aquaculture Farms and Hatcheries

Vanessa Kummer (USB Director from North Dakota) and Lorraine Birschbach (ASA Director from Wisconsin) participated in the 11th Annual Regional Soybean Conference held in Cairo in September, 2006. The grower's also visited several aquaculture farms and hatcheries in Egypt. Aquaculture growth in Egypt has been very strong during the last 9 years. Currently, Egypt is the world's second largest producer of tilapia with over 200,000 metric tons grown annually. Staff and consultants from ASA-IM are conducting a feeding demonstration with tilapia fed a high soy-inclusion diet with 50 percent soybean meal inclusion. This work is being done to increase the soy inclusion in Egyptian tilapia growout diets.

Lorraine Birschbach and Vanessa Kummer with Mona Sleem from the Watanya Company in Salia, Egypt. The group visited Ms. Sleem’s farm and hatchery.

Vanessa Kummer at Arab Fisheries Company in Edico, Egypt. The group was able to see how the fish are harvested from the ponds. This pond contained silver carp, common carp, mullet and tilapia.

The activities of USSEC are made possible by producer checkoff dollars invested by the United Soybean Board and various State Soybean Councils, support from cooperating industry, and through the American Soybean Association's investment of cost-share funding provided by USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service.