Fish breeding to change face of Manicaland

Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter

GOVERNMENT intends to set up a fingerling breeding plant in Mutasa District to boast employment creation and empower rural households, particularly women and youths.

Fish farming also contributes towards ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and ensuring healthy lives.

Currently, fish farmers get fingerlings from Lake Harvest (Kariba), resulting in high mortality of the fish due to fatigue.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Honourable David Marapira toured fish projects in Honde Valley on Tuesday.

About 250 small-holder farmers have ventured into the lucrative business.

Hon Marapira said Government will facilitate the setting up of the breeding plant.

He said under the Presidential Rural Development Scheme, Government will also establish two community fish ponds for women and another two for youths per each village.

In Honde Valley, lead fish farmer, Mr Francis Garepo has diversified into fish feed processing, an initiative that resonates with Government’s plan to increase the number of small-holder fish farmers in the area to 500.

“Vision 2030 of achieving a middle income economy in the next eight years has already taken root as you have started making money through fish farming,” said Hon Marapira.

“We need about five hectares of land to establish a fingerlings breeding plant to service the Manicaland market so that farmers do not continue incurring additional transport costs and losses due to fatigue.

“Government realises the critical role fish farming plays in employment creation and empowerment of rural households, particularly women and youths. It also contributes towards ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and ensuring healthy lives and the well-being for the nation,” he said.

Deputy Minister Marapira said the levels of fish consumption in the country is low, at 2kg per capita, compared to an average of 6kg in SADC.

He attributed this to low production.

“This is despite the fact that the country has 10 000 dams that can be utilised for fish production through both capture fisheries and aquaculture.

“However, sustainable development of the aquaculture sub-sector is of paramount importance as the country’s major dams are recording a decline in catches due to over-exploitation and climate change induced challenges,” he said.

The Deputy Minister said stern measures must be taken against unscrupulous elements poisoning water bodies and using mosquito nets to catch fish.

 

Acting Director for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr Milton Makumbe said there is need to establish feed processing plants in all districts to bridge existing feed supply gaps that have seen farmers struggling to attain the required 500g weight in six months to remain viable.

ln fish farming, feeding is the most crucial cost of production.

“Government has come up with various programmes to boost fish production, among them the Presidential Fisheries Scheme, which seeks to restock 1 200 dams between now and 2025.

“About 50 000 fingerlings will be put in each dam, and these will be managed by committees comprising of the civic and traditional leaders, villagers and officials from Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA).

“We also have cage fisheries, which is more of a commercial enterprise where those willing to do fish farming at a large scale will be accommodated,” he said.

Mr Garepo’s feed processing plant has the capacity to produce a tonne of feed per day.

The pellets float in water in tandem with the tilapia behaviour of feeding from above.

The plant produces the whole range of the feed required for tilapia production, from the starter to the growers.

“We use mixing ratios approved by reputable suppliers of fish feed. We use soya meal, fish meal and wheat meal to produce the feed,” he said.