Journal of Animal Research and Nutrition

Impact on aquaculture sector due to COVID-19

As estimated in 2019, the Malaysian aquaculture sector consists of 391,000 tonnes of cultivated organisms produced per year with an economic value of over USD 700 million. A wide global human pandemic was triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently ongoing, deeply affecting Malaysian aquaculture, which is critical for the provision of seafood and safety assurance. Nearly 90% of respondents were unanimous in responding, and COVID-19 had a significant impact on aquaculture-related activities in Malaysia; 80% of them described market demand and logistic bottlenecks (72%) as major constraints on their aquaculture activities. Although the use of the online market or digital channels (76%) was the main choice to resolve aquaculture issues related to COVID-19, a significant fraction of respondents requested unique assistance to support aquaculture activities (e.g. financial support). Most respondents (93 percent) were aware of the need for the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provided during the MCO/CMCO by the relevant agencies. Present data is critical for the implementation of national and international policy initiatives to support the pandemic seafood market.

Author(s):

Shivangi Khare

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