MAGA Guatemala reported on November 3, 2025, that Mario Gaitán, Vice Minister of VISAN, inaugurated a pilot plan to promote tilapia farming in Santa Rosa, Alta Verapaz, and Chiquimula. The initiative aims to enhance animal protein production and consumption as a means to strengthen family nutrition. According to the tweet posted at 18:54 UTC, "El viceministro del #VISAN, Mario Gaitán, inauguró el Plan Piloto de Fomento del Cultivo de Tilapia en Santa Rosa, Alta Verapaz y Chiquimula, con el objetivo de promover la producción y consumo de proteína de origen animal para fortalecer la nutrición familiar."
In a subsequent post at the same time, MAGA Guatemala elaborated on the objectives of the plan: "El plan busca fortalecer las capacidades productivas y nutricionales de las familias rurales, fomentando el autoconsumo, la generación de ingresos y la diversificación alimentaria." The focus is on improving both productive and nutritional capacities for rural families through self-consumption and income generation.
Another tweet from MAGA Guatemala at 18:54 UTC included remarks from Vice Minister Gaitán regarding the nutritional value of tilapia. "La tilapia es una fuente accesible de proteína de alto valor biológico que mejora la dieta familiar. “Debemos buscar en el agua soluciones al hambre en el mundo”, expresó el viceministro Gaitán."
The Ministry of Agriculture in Guatemala has previously implemented initiatives aimed at supporting food security and rural development by promoting aquaculture projects like tilapia farming among small producers. These efforts are intended to address malnutrition rates in various regions by providing accessible sources of high-quality protein.
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