GenoMar Genetics AS signed a joint venture agreement with Agroavícola Sanmarino S.A., a Colombian poultry genetics distribution company belonging to the Italcol group. The agreement includes the establishment of a new company in the next few weeks, named GenoMar Genetics Colombia.
The joint venture, which already has secured a quarantine and parent stock farm, will distribute tilapia genetics in the form of fingerlings and juveniles from a high-quality biosecure land-based facility in Colombia’s Huila province. “We expect to have the first products in the market during Q4, 2022,” said Martin Cordero, the newly appointed general manager for the joint venture.
“This is an important milestone in our expansion strategy,” said Alejandro Tola Alvarez, CEO, GenoMar Genetics Group. “Colombia is the second to third-largest tilapia producer in Latin America and has a very export-oriented value chain that professionalizes quickly. Both companies have worked hard and patiently over several years with the vision of bringing genetic innovations and supply security to the Colombian tilapia industry.”
The turning point came earlier in the year when GenoMar got export authorizations for their genetic material from ICA (Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario), the competent authority in Colombia. Under the agreements signed, GenoMar will supply the entire parent stock requirement from their breeding operations in Asia and/or Brazil. They will provide effective support in the day-to-day management of production and distribution using its existing global and Brazilian platforms. Sanmarino/Italcol will play an important role in supporting commercialization and data collection of the tilapia performance delivered to the Colombian industry.
“We are very happy to have partnered with GenoMar to bring superior genetic material and new choices to the fast-growing tilapia industry in Colombia,” said German Galvis, managing director in Agroavícola Sanmarino. We have no doubt that tilapia will follow a similar path as poultry, where genetics innovation and distribution, carried out by highly specialized companies, are transforming the industry year by year. This allows higher efficiencies in production and sharing best practice methods.”
