Value chains and market access for aquaculture products

Abstract

Aquaculture contributes significantly to global food security, poverty alleviation, and international fish trade. Aquaculture products have become some of the most globalized food commodities, attracting the interest of diverse stakeholders that scrutinize industry developments, through the lenses of the global value chain (GVC) approach to analyze and understand the dynamics and roles at value chain nodes of key players, economic costs and benefits, value addition and value creation and to develop policy options and suitable market instruments for the promotion of sustainable aquaculture. Key characteristics of the aquaculture GVC are that most of the production takes place in developing countries, involving mostly small-scale operators, while 60 to 70% of the demand (in value) occurs in Europe, North America, and Japan. As a consequence, the institutional and operational capacity of the producing countries is challenged to comply with increasingly demanding regulations and standards for consumer protection, social, and environmental requirements in order to participate actively in the aquaculture GVC. This article reviews the current status and the issues facing aquaculture value chains. It focuses on the challenges and perspectives for aquaculture value chain development, their main drivers, implications, and opportunities for the future of the aquaculture GVC.