Examining the success of the tilapia industry in Huila, an emerging aquaculture hub in the Colombian Southwest

Reaching a production level of 116,000 tons (live weight) in 2022, the tilapia industry has emerged as the most important finfish farming sector in Colombia. Located in the southwest of the country, the Huila department currently accounts for 40% of total production and 90% of exports. As the industry grew at a remarkable pace over the last two decades, two clearly identifiable production sectors emerged, with large-scale producers targeting the exports market, and mid- and small-scale producers focusing on the domestic market. This study used the Aquaculture Performance Indicators (API) methodology to examine the economic, environmental, and social performance of both production sectors. The evaluation relied on the input of industry experts and secondary information collected from a number of sources. While the export sector was found to achieve acceptable scores for each sustainability criteria, the economic and social performance of the domestic sector was deemed deficient. Distinct capacities to cope with a number of production, investment and cost scenarios as well as varying vulnerability to potential risks could further amplify the detected differences in performance between the two production sectors.