SOROTI– State minister for fisheries, Hellen Adoa has advised farmers in Uganda to engage more in fish farming, saying it complements other efforts geared towards fighting household poverty.
According to Adoa, the fish sector is a very lucrative farming activity that can help farmers earn extra household income.
Speaking to journalists ahead of World Fisheries Day, which is commemorated on 21st November, to recognise the vast and sometimes underappreciated food source for millions of humans that is the sea, Adoa said the market for fish is available.
With time, she said farmers could add value to their fish so that they earn more money from the business.
“We need to realise that fisheries is now a commercial activity and therefore farmers should take advantage,” Adoa said.
On the other hand, she also asked farmers to grow more of maize, beans and simsim, so that fish farmers don’t lack feeds.
The resident district commissioner Soroti, Salim Komakech, applauded MAAIF, saying the initiative of protecting fishing activity has boosted the fishing industry. “If the fish industry is well developed, then the country will develop as well,” Komakech said.
Meanwhile, Daisy Aciro Olyel, assistant commissioner of fisheries enforcement called for the protection of the water bodies.
She said there are a number of interventions being carried out to ensure that lakes in eso subregions are productive and this will promote fishing farming.
Besides, Aciro urged farmers not to fish in the mapped areas of lakes Bisina, Opeta and Kyoga in order to register massive validation of the fishing areas.
“I encourage farmers not fish in this areas for us to be successful in this programme,” Aciro said.
Uganda will be celebrating with the belated World Fisheries Day on Novermber 25, 2022, in Serere district local government grounds under the theme, “Promoting Fish Farming for Improved Household Incomes.”
The Day is dedicated to highlighting the critical importance of healthy ocean ecosystems and to ensure sustainable stocks of fisheries.
According to National Agricultural Advisory Services [NAADS], Uganda annually produces up to 15 000 tons of fish from aquaculture, including production from small-scale fish farmers, emerging commercial fish farmers and stocked community water reservoirs and minor lakes. There are an estimated 20,000 ponds throughout the country with an average surface area of 500 square metres per fish pond.
However, NAADS notes that the aquaculture enterprise in the country is still in its take off stages despite it being practiced even in pre-colonial times. This, the experts say, has been mainly due to the fish from natural water bodies like lakes, streams and rivers being sufficient for the fish eating populations.
The experts add due to the recent increase in population and high upshot of fish processing plants for export, the natural stocks have dwindled to alarming levels in that, meeting the domestic demand alone is going to be a problem without providing alternative sources of fish.
Globally, according to the 2022 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture [SOFIA] fisheries and aquaculture production reached a record 214 metric tons in 2020, although it has suffered from COVID‐19‐related impacts.
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