May 25 - May 27, 2022
Pordenone Fiere, Italy

Aquaculture production costs have increased significantly since mid-2021. Raw materials have become less available and with significant increases in purchase prices.

This started even before the war in Ukraine, which made all these aspects even worse. At AquaFarm we will talk about possible remedies, including reforms and targeted regulatory and administrative interventions that could facilitate aquaculture companies. The rendez-vous is for next May, 25, 26 and 27 at Pordenone Fiere.

The increase in electricity costs on average higher than 100% for companies in the primary sector is affecting fish farming as well, where electric drives are widespread. Aquaculture, mainly fresh and brackish water, is directly affected. The effects of the increases, which are added to those of other supplies necessary for breeding, starting with feed, pushes up production costs and as a consequence, the costs of the finished product. With current price increases, in fact, no economic activity is able to absorb them.

The risk is that of a greater use of imports from countries where overhead costs can be reduced. Therefore, energy increases have less impact on prices in relation to a more flexible and less stringent regulatory framework and with fewer guarantees for the consumer.

Farmers are applying different strategies to optimize and reduce consumption. AquaFarm dedicates an entire session of its conference program to these topics, focusing on both short and medium-term remedies. Energy costs are not destined to fall in foreseeable times and the decisive solution, namely the self-production of electricity using renewable sources not subject to market influences or by-products of fish production, finds also financing opportunities in some forms of public aid and investment support.

A particular self-production technology is the one of floating photovoltaics. During the session SOS costs! The rising cost of energy in food production, Mr Maarten Van Cleef, Italy Country Manager at Lakectricity, one of the companies that in Europe and Italy is concentrating on this sector, will explain the advantages and characteristics of photovoltaics on water surfaces.

A potential source of energy for aquaculture installations is the one deriving from the biogas produced by the wastewater. The theoretical possibility has always clashed with the problem that the wastewater is very diluted therefore the exclusive use would require an expensive dehydration and concentration process also from an energetic point of view. The researches conducted, among others the one by Mr Ciro Vismara at CREA, presented in the same session, pointed out that if fish waste is integrated with other digestible components (such as processing waste and non-food crops) the process can be convenient.

All these interventions have a cost. Financial support tools are currently available. Mr Giorgio Venceslai, Head of Business Services at ISMEA, will talk about this topic. Crises, including those relating to rising in energy costs, must not be suffered but faced up. This is the message that AquaFarm and its promoters wish to convey.