WorldFish provided 100 Kilograms of its fresh Abbassa tilapia to be cooked by the Egyptian Chefs Association (ECA) at La Cuisine Festival held in Cairo, Egypt, on 10 December.
The festival saw 1500 guests from around the world to sample dishes from chefs from countries including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, India, Russia, Mexico, in addition to Egypt.
Egypt is the world’s second largest producer of tilapia, producing more than one million tons per year. With almost all of the tilapia production consumed locally, WorldFish, along with other feeding companies and stakeholders of the sector in Egypt, are working on promoting farmed tilapia as an affordable, tasty and healthy source of protein for all Egyptians.
Malcolm Dickson, Program Manager for WorldFish said: “In Egypt, 27% of the population live in poverty and suffer from high rates of childhood stunting. This is why WorldFish is keen to promote tilapia as a cheap and nutritious source of protein for the poor. However, the market for tilapia needs to be expanded to all sectors of the population. Events such as La Cuisine, might make people think again about the type of fish they prepare for their families”.
This was the second cooperation between WorldFish and ECA after the first taste test workshop hosted by WorldFish on 29 August 2016 at the Abbassa Research Center. The first workshop aimed at introducing high quality Egyptian Abbassa strain tilapia to twenty of Egypt’s top chefs.
The Egyptian tilapia stand was sponsored by WorldFish along with leading private sector companies under the umbrella of the Aquatic Union for Fisheries Cooperatives.
Mohamed Gouda, Committee member of the Aquatic Union for Fisheries Cooperatives explained: “The Egyptian Tilapia was presented in four recipes which were a great success in this international festival. The Aquatic Union for Fisheries Cooperatives will continue its support for this fish along with the stakeholders of the aquaculture sector, by establishing the ‘Support Fund for Egyptian tilapia’. Its main role is to build the market reputation for tilapia and develop new aquaculture and marketing methods. In this context, a cooperation protocol with all stakeholders including research centers, aquaculture cooperatives, feeding companies and large fish farming businesses, is under preparation.”
For more information or to request an interview contact:
Toby Johnson, Head of Communications
Mobile Tel: +60 (0) 175 124 606
Email: t.johnson@cgiar.org
Web: worldfishcenter.org
Photography: flickr.com/photos/theworldfishcenter/
About WorldFish
WorldFish is an international, nonprofit research organization that harnesses the potential of fisheries and aquaculture to reduce hunger and poverty. Globally, more than one billion poor people obtain most of their animal protein from fish and 800 million depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. WorldFish is a member of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
About CGIAR
CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research Centers that are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partners.