Attendees at the ASA/WISHH aquaculture training at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand.

The American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (ASA/WISHH) program recently hosted an aquaculture training program at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) with support from the Kansas Soybean Commission.

The training, developed in conjunction with ASA/WISHH’s United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded FEEDing Pakistan Project and was titled, “How to Produce Millions of High Quality Tilapia Fry & Table Fish.”

PK Team Preparation before going into ponds for collecting eggs from mouth of female broodstock tilapia. (From left to right): Guno – Papua New Guinea, G.Qadir Mahar, Assad J. Samoon, Arshad Aziz R.S.N. Janjua, Country Rep. ASA/WISHH/PK, Dr. Ram Bhujel, Director-AIT, Ms. Asma Nawab, Ms . Nosheen Jawaid, Ms. R.Kausar, Ms. Rehana Iqbal, Ms. Lucia, AIT senior Staff.

A team of seven, led by R.S.N. Janjua - ASA/WISHH country representative in Pakistan, attended the customized training representing the Federal Research Institute, provincial Fisheries Departments, non-profit organizations, Academia and progressive fish farmers.

Lukas Manomaitis, of U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)  Southeast Asia, served as guest speaker during the closing ceremony and presented about soy’s role in aquaculture giving an overview of the USSEC SEA Aquaculture Program. Rey Santella, Agricultural Attaché, U.S. Embassy, Thailand was also in attendance at the closing ceremony to present certificates to the attendees.

Investment in such training leads to long-term results in the development of the Aquaculture Sector in Pakistan. ASA/WISHH’s work in Pakistan has led to an increase in the usage of soy in aquaculture feed and soy usage numbers are expected to continue to grow significantly. Pakistan has recently started to import significant quantities of U.S. soybeans.