At the tilapia processing park in Yangmei Town, Huazhou City, Maoming, dozens of container trucks are being loaded with processed tilapia products. These trucks then depart for customs clearance and export. Inside the production workshops, numerous workers are busy slaughtering fresh tilapia delivered that day, processing them into various specifications and types of products. The processed tilapia products—such as tilapia fillets, steaks, and grilled tilapia—are exported to over 40 countries and regions.
Maoming Tilapia Export Processing Workshop
Maoming is known as "China's Tilapia Capital." The city's tilapia breeding area exceeds 260,000 mu (1 mu ≈ 0.0667 hectares), with an annual output of approximately 280,000 tons, accounting for one-seventh of China's total tilapia output. The total output value of its tilapia industry chain exceeds 10 billion yuan, making Maoming the largest tilapia breeding area and export processing base in China.
According to the latest data from the Maoming Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in the first half of 2025, the primary production output of tilapia reached 144,800 tons, a year-on-year increase of 7.12%. The export volume of tilapia and its products hit 49,000 tons, up 28.7% year-on-year, while the total export value rose by more than 20% compared to the same period last year.
Maoming's Tilapia Enjoys a Bumper Harvest, with Workers Busy Catching Them.
Tilapia, originally introduced from Africa, is now "swimming back" to Africa at an accelerated pace after being bred in Maoming's favorable natural environment. "Maoming has been breeding tilapia for more than 60 years and has established a complete industrial chain, enabling higher breeding quality and lower costs," said Chen Qi, President of the Maoming Tilapia Association.
Author/Photo: Zou Xiangliang
Editor: Huang Qini, James Campion, Shen He
