Market Trends of Bahrain Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry
Increasing Exports to Saudi Arabia is Driving the Market
The Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs, and Urban Planning is moving forward with fish farming projects with an aim to raise the local production of fish and ensure food security and self-sufficiency. According to ITC Trademap, the value of fisheries export to Saudi Arabia saw an exponential rise in 2021. The increasing demand for seafood in the Middle-Eastern countries, particularly Saudi Arabia is the main factor propelling the demand.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has a coastline of 950 km, a continental shelf of approximately 10,000 sq. km, and a land territory of around 760 sq. km. Even though most of the production is marketed locally, the export market is growing. The Ministry planned to develop and increase production efficiency in the National Centre for Mariculture, which aims to produce 20 million fingerlings by 2025.
Significant numbers of Sobaity bream, gilthead bream, and grouper juveniles have been exported to all the countries in the region. Due to the scarcity of freshwater resources in Bahrain, all efforts have been diverted towards marine species, and there are minimal land-based cultural activities carried out in tanks. This will boost the market to grow in coming years.
Rise in Live Fish Imports in the Country
The value of fish and fishery imports was USD 430 thousand in 2020, which rose to USD 513 thousand in 2021, as per ITC Trademap. The shrimp fishery is traditionally the most important fishery in Bahrain because the total catches have shown a generally increasing trend in the species but, the composition of lands has changed significantly with declines in catches of some originally targeted species (e.g. groupers). So, the country has increased the catch of crustaceans (shrimps and crabs) and other finfish.
According to the International Trade Centre (ITC) in 2021, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia are the major exporters of live fish to the Bahrain market. Thailand alone accounts for around 40% of the exports of live fish to Bahrain, followed by Sri Lanka at around 20%.
The government is actively seeking Bahraini and foreign private investments in large fish farming projects. Previously, most such activities were funded by development agencies from other Gulf countries (particularly Kuwait, UAE, and Saudi Arabia). Foreign-owned companies are eligible for partial financing from the state-owned Bahraini Development Bank (BDB), to develop fish farming projects in the country to ensure food safety and security. There are many benefits for investing in fish farming such as reducing the pressure on natural resources while also releasing fish fingerlings raised in the farm into the wild to restock Bahrain's marine population. This will raise opportunities for the country to grow and boost the growth of the market during the forecasting period.
