At Aquishow, Ministry of Fisheries launches sustainable plan for aquaculture
During the opening of Aquishow Brasil 2026, in Uberlândia, in the Triângulo Mineiro, this Tuesday (9), the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Rivetla Edipo Araújo, announced the launch of the National Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development. The initiative seeks to structure, organize and modernize the sector's production chain across the country.
In his speech, the minister highlighted the importance of competitiveness, innovation and technical assistance to expand national production. According to him, investing in education and qualifications is essential for the sustainable growth of the activity.
The ceremony was also marked by demands from the productive sector. The president of the Peixe SP Council, Hemerson Esteves, asked the federal government to pay attention to the entry of tilapia imported from Vietnam, which, according to producers, reaches the Brazilian market at prices lower than those practiced in the country.
In an interview with Itatiaia, the minister stated that a committee is already discussing the topic and highlighted measures adopted by the government to strengthen national production, including the tightening of rules for importing fish. "The ministry is on the side of the Brazilian product and the Brazilian producer. Therefore, the committee remains open to dialogue on this issue", he stated.
Tilapia Invasion of Vietnam
And the theme "Invasive tilapia from Vietnam and commercial and health problems" dominated the discussions at the opening of the fair. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Rivetla Edipo Araújo, commented on the tightening of tax rules in the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo for foreign tilapia.
"I observed, I saw that the state of Minas Gerais, the state of Pernambuco, more recently as well, published ordinances regarding the import and commercialization of tilapia fish from Vietnam. We, as the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, have been observing this closely and seeing how the arrival of tilapia from Vietnam has really impacted the domestic market and, obviously, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture defends the Brazilian tilapia sector."
Marilza Patrício, executive secretary of Peixe SP, responsible for organizing Aquishow Brasil 2026, reinforces that governments need to help Brazilian producers.
"The Brazilian state, did it need to observe a little more that it is maintained by those who produce? Brazil, the Brazilian state, public servants, the Judiciary, because the state has no revenue, it does not generate revenue, it only receives".
Bruno Machado, executive director of Peixe MG, recognizes that the hardening measures for tilapia from abroad have commercial roots, but the issue of health risk, according to him, is real.
"Fatally, our global market saying that it has no commercial bias is a widespread lie. Countries all over the world work as commercial borders, often disguised as sanitary ones. But there will always be a commercial issue, especially because when a product with zero taxes enters, as it was entering Minas Gerais, it competes unfairly with our producers. But the sanitary issue is a real issue. Vietnam and several countries in that part of Asia have a disease that we don't have here yet, which is TiLV [virus of lake tilapia] among others. This is viral. There are some bacteria that are not available in Minas. But the fillet arrives frozen, it is processed.
Aquishow Brasil 2026, considered the biggest national aquaculture event, started this Tuesday (9) and continues until Thursday (11), bringing together producers, researchers, companies and sector representatives.
Brazil intensifies actions against tilapia imports | CNN AGRO NEWS
Source: CNN