Updated 12 hr(s) 14 min(s) ago
Fish farmers in
Fisheries Development Ministry has projected that fish production will increase from 20,000 metric tonnes in the short-term to over 100,000 tonnes in the medium and long terms, providing close to Sh6 billion to farmers as direct earnings.
This is all thanks to the first phase of the Fish Farming Enterprise, which was initiated through the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP).
The enterprise has created over 28,000 employment opportunities to fish farmers, provided short-term employment to over 280,000 youths, and indirect employment to over 140,000 other Kenyans.
According to a report from the Fisheries Ministry dated May this year, the farming project has created short-term demand of 28 million certified tilapia/catfish fingerlings, and 14, 000 tonnes of specified and formulated fish feeds. This demand will increase to 100 tonnes in the medium and long-terms.
The private
The Fish farming Enterprise is part of the Government’s Sh22 billion economic stimulus package that was injected in various economic sectors in the country by Minister for Finance, Uhuru Kenyatta, in an effort to revive the
Slowed downTwo years ago, Uhuru presented a Budget in Parliament against a backdrop of global and national economic challenges that had slowed down of the economy to a modest 1.7 per cent in 2009 compared to the 7.1 per cent at the end of 2007. The substantial decline in agricultural production and the slow down in economic activity tourism and construction demanded deliberate action by the Government to salvage the situation, birthing the stimulus.
The project’s output for the medium term plan ending June 2013 is to enhance the Fish Farming Entreprise Productivity Programme to cover the entire country and initiate the Kenya Coastal Mariculture Development Programme.
The Government’s wants to increase aquaculture productivity and raise the incomes of farmers and other stakeholders from fish, and related aqua-business activities in the value chain. The current progress report says the ministry had developed a fish breeding programme with the current capacity of over 150, 000 brood-stock, fish specifications and supply chain.
Through the projec, the State has constructed over 28,000 fish ponds in 140 constituencies country-wide, stocked them with over 25 million fingerlings, and increased the area under aquaculture from 722 hectares to 20,000 hectares.
This has increased fish production from 4,220 metric tonnes to 12,154 metric tonnes, which represents about seven per cent of the national fish production.
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