Status and cost analysis of Sabaki tilapia farming in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

We conducted a survey to gather data on the current production and operating costs of Sabaki tilapia (Oreochromis spilurus) aquaculture in Saudi Arabia. The results show the existence of Sabaki tilapia farming on small, medium, and industrial levels in 2019, with average farm size >10 ha and employing >5 farmworkers throughout the production cycle in polyculture systems. Most farms used significantly more amounts of commercial feed than natural feed. The culture cycle on the surveyed farms was <6 months, with the fish produced sold directly to buyers and regular customers. Most producers were not considering a job change. The primary costs involved in Sabaki tilapia aquaculture production were feed (50.06–69.33%), labor (14.51–20.98%), and fry (5.29–5.81%). The medium- and industrial-level farms showed advantageous profitability.