"I hold a doctorate in economics from Oxford University in England and am currently the CEO of Aquaponic-Al Haggag Farms group in Egypt. I am also the executive director and advisor to another group of aquaponic farms in Egypt and the Arab countries," says Dr Hesham Haggag, CEO of Aquaponic-Al Haggag Farms group in Egypt.
Having lived in countries including England, France, Argentina, the US, Japan, Russia, the UAE and Italy. In the early 2000s, Hesham became aware of the emerging water problems around the world. This prompted him to search for ways to produce food with minimal water consumption. He, therefore, began studying hydroponics and was fascinated by the idea. Then Hesham found out that The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and the University of Hawaii had developed commercial-scale aquaponics systems, so he traveled to see their designs and operations.
When returning to Egypt in 2010, he decided to implement the country's first commercial aquaponics farm, based on the University of Hawaii's model. The group now has four farms in Egypt under my management. The first farm was established in Haram City, with an area of 2,000 m2. Our production is intensive, with 130 tilapia per m3 with a ratio of one fish per plant. The farm consists of one fish tank of 100 m3 and nine plant systems with an area of (2 x 24) m per tank. The average fish production is 500 to 800 kilograms per month, with an average weight of 250 g per fish. In terms of crops, it produces lettuce, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and others.
The second farm is in Beni Suef. It is fully automated and dedicated to the production of medicinal and aromatic plants, the production of which is allocated to an oil extraction factory. The farm also produces 4 tonnes of tilapia per month.
Read the entire article at The Fish Site