Last year Kenya produced over 30,000 metric tonnes of fish, an improvement from the previous years where the country produced as low as 4,000 metric tonnes annually.
Blue Economy and Fisheries Principal Secretary (PS), Ms. Betsy Njagi, said the government is looking forward to increasing this production, through encouraging aquaculture, provision of seed (fingerlings) to farmers and establishment of centres of excellence, where farmers can get quality seeds.
“The capture of fisheries is going down due to dwindling fish stocks in the water bodies and revamping aquaculture will ensure food and nutritional security, through steady supply of fish stock to the local market and beyond,” the PS said, adding the government is also working with the private sector, to ensure the provision of quality feeds, which has been a major challenge to the fish farmers.
Njagi added the Government through the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue Economy is partnering with African Union-Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), to revamp the aquaculture value chain in the country and Africa at large.
The remarks were contained in a speech read on her behalf by the Director of Fisheries Ms. Lucy Obungu, during the official opening of the 2nd General Congress of Aquaculture Network for Africa (ANAF) in Naivasha.
It’s worth noting that aquaculture currently accounts for only 2.7 percent of fish catch in the country and the annual supply gap of 50,000 metric tonnes of fish is projected to increase to 75,000 by 2030 if annual per capita fish consumption remains constant at 4.3 kg.
As the ANAF member states convene in Kenya for this three-day conference, the PS explained that some of the challenges facing the fisheries sector include poor quality seed (fingerlings) and high cost of fish feed, which have hindered the progression of aquaculture in the country and called for urgent measures by stakeholders to resolve the challenges.
The PS noted that the centres of excellence that have been established will help address the issue of the high cost of fish feed and lead to the production of high-quality fish fingerlings in the country.
As part of the government’s commitment to enhancing the aquaculture value chain in the country, the PS pointed out that the establishment of Sh. 1 billion Kabonyo Fisheries Aquaculture Service and Training Centre of Excellence in Kisumu County, will come in handy in ensuring the availability of quality fish seed.
This came at the backdrop of concerns raised by stakeholders in the sector over declining fish catches from capture fishing as a result of over-exploitation of marine ecosystems. Aquaculture is now being seen as the solution that will help bridge the gap in the supply of this vital food component.
The PS called upon Member States to enhance activities around the promotion and growth of the aquaculture sector in their respective countries in order to ensure food security and alleviate poverty.
“In this vein, given the importance of fish in our food baskets and in social safety nets for the majority of our citizens, I wish to implore all Member States to similarly embark on promoting industry or market led-aquaculture development for food security, income, and wealth creation,” she added.
Ms. Obungu observed that they were working with various security apparatus to stem the rampant illegal fishing in the country’s water bodies, which she says denies the country revenue and contributes to dwindling fish stocks through the capture of immature fish.
The African Union-Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Director, Dr. Huyam Salim, emphasized that aquaculture had the potential to provide food security and economic empowerment to the masses on the African continent, while at the same time calling for collaborative efforts between individual governments of Member States and the private sector in enhancing aquaculture production.
“Governments’ participation in their own continental organization and developing a work program based on their common problems bestows assurance that appropriate strategies are engaged, to resolve priority issues, create wider impact, and efficiently perform more effectively in its institutional roles,” she said.
Dr. David Balikowa from the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, called for an urgent need to address the emerging challenges in the aquaculture Sub-sector, adding that it is an important player, not only in the food and nutritional security but also in economic empowerment as well.
Balikowa noted that EAC was at the forefront in promoting aquaculture within Member States to increase production to fill in the supply gap, currently being exploited by international players, exporting their fish to the local markets in East Africa, hence denying the region income.
By Mabel Keya – Shikuku
