Due to the discovery of legal loopholes in U.S. import regulations, Brazilian tilapia producers are expected to significantly increase their exports of chilled tilapia to the United States in 2025 and may become the largest supplier of chilled tilapia to the U.S. market.

Currently, Brazil exports about 13,000 tons of chilled tilapia fillets to the United States each year. However, after learning that US law does not require Brazil to issue an international health certificate, exports are expected to increase to 26,000 tons by 2025. "This discovery increases our competitiveness in the US market," Francisco Medeiros, president of the Brazilian Aquaculture Association (Peixe BR), told IntraFish at the Latin American Seafood Trade Fair in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Other tilapia producers, such as Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia and Mexico, have long enjoyed an export advantage because they do not require government health certificates. "We expect to double our exports of chilled tilapia products to the United States in the next 12 months and could become the largest exporter of chilled tilapia to the United States by 2025," Mederos said.

Brazilian tilapia products are mainly sold in the domestic market for a long time because of the good price and strong demand in the domestic market. The health certification problem has led American buyers to believe that Brazil is unwilling to actively expand exports to the United States. Antonio Ramon do Amaral Neto, partner and director of Brazilian Fish, said the company currently produces about 20,000 tons of tilapia a year and can fly the fish to the East Coast of the United States for distribution within 48 hours of harvest.

Although the shipping time cannot be shortened, exporters no longer need to wait for export certification issued by the Brazilian government. In the past, tilapia products waited for certification at Brazil's domestic airports, often reducing the product's shelf life by a full day. Neto said that even without the certification issue, Brazil's export capacity could still be five or six times larger than it is today.

Steady increase in production

In a separate speech at the trade fair, Mederos said that by 2030, Brazil's annual production of tilapia is expected to increase to 1.2 million tons, which is expected to become the world's second largest tilapia producer. He cited technological advances, Brazil's abundant feed grain supply and rising export demand as the main drivers of this growth. By the beginning of the next decade, tilapia production will account for 80% of total aquaculture production in Brazil.

In 2023, Brazilian tilapia production reached 579,000 tons, accounting for 65.3% of total aquaculture production.