COVID-19 impacts and adaptations in Asia and Africa's aquatic food value chains. (Working Paper: FISH-2021-02.)

The COVID-19 pandemic is a systemic shock that affects all areas of the global food system. A growing range of impacts on aquatic food producers, value chain actors and consumers is evident. In response, the report provides the impacts of COVID-19 on aquatic food value chains in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Myanmar and Nigeria. Results show that: (1) COVID-19 and associated containment measures severely disrupted aquatic food value chains, but effects on supply were relatively short-lived;(2)Demand for aquatic foods has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels;(3) prices of aquatic foods have downward trend while prices of manufactured feeds have risen;and (4) COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities. As COVID-19 pandemic reversed years of progress on key human development indicators, it is important to revitalize aquatic food value chains to protect livelihoods and human nutrition. The paper also provides policy recommendations for both supply and demand sides.