Nicovita presented in March at the Taypikala Lago de Puno hotel, the results of the first year of operations of its Fish Laboratory in Peru. The lab is part of a collaboration between the company and the National University of Altiplano (UNA) to strengthen trout farming in the region.
The laboratory, located in the Puno area, is housed in the facilities of the Chucuito Research and Production Center of the higher education institution. Its focus is to promptly identify diseases that affect the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that is cultivated in Peru, to optimize its farming and reduce mortality levels.
According to Carlos Dávila, commercial technical manager of Vitapro, the company is not only focused on providing the best quality feed to Peruvian trout farmers but also on providing them with permanent technical support to optimize their profitability and production results.
"We know that disease management is essential and, therefore, we signed this agreement with the university that considers, among its points, the installation and complete equipment of the Fish Health Laboratory in its facilities. This laboratory has been created to help farmers, customers of Nicovita, to identify diseases and monitor them so that they can improve their production, reduce mortality and have better quality fish to supply the markets," he said.
Results
During the meeting, the current sanitary situation of trout farming in the Lake Titicaca area was analyzed to identify opportunities to strengthen production. The importance of implementing preventive disease management measures was highlighted, given the detection of certain pathogens that affect intensive production. This highlights the need to continue advancing in strategies that contribute to the sustainability and profitability of the sector.
Considering this scenario, the Fish Laboratory has become an important support for trout farmers, as it has technical services and a facility that allows them to reach specific and timely diagnoses for better decision-making.
In this meeting, results and findings for its first year of operation were shared. The lab carried out, free of charge, more than 200 analyses for trout farmers who feed their crops with Nicovita.
Strategic alliance
During the event, the rector of UNA Puno, Paulino Machaca, highlighted the importance of understanding, through research, the farming condition of trout to increase production and improve the quality of life of the farmers that make up more than 800 companies in the region.
"Puno is the region with the highest trout production and the university, through the agreement, contributes and supports this type of research. The objective is to know the deficiencies and strengthen sustainable farming," Machaca said.
Also present was the dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the higher education institution, Belisario Mantilla, who explained that, of the total trout production in Lake Titicaca, only 23% is of high quality and meets the conditions for export. A 30% of production complies moderately and 47% does not comply. Therefore, he called to optimize farming conditions.
Ricardo Huerta Maguiña, professor at the Faculty of Biological Sciences and executive of the Chucuito Experimental Center, highlighted the alliance between the company and the university. He stressed that, under the current sanitary conditions, the Fish Laboratory becomes more relevant. He also emphasized that these facilities are generating great interest in professors and students of the university.
"We are receiving undergraduate and postgraduate students to carry out practices and in the near future academic activities should be further dynamized, with specific courses and diplomas, since the aquaculture health emergency needs it," he said.
Vitapro is a Peruvian company with more than 30 years of experience in aquaculture nutrition, focused on developing efficient and sustainable solutions for the aquaculture industry in Latin America. It currently operates in countries such as Peru, Honduras, Ecuador and Chile.
