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Precious Manomano Herald Reporter

The Government is set to support more than 50 000 fish farmers as a way to boost productivity that they realise better returns from fish value chains.

Fish farming is the fastest growing food producing sector and can be produced more efficiency and cost effectively.

Presidential Fisheries Programme is set to be introduced in 1 200 dams across the country with 50 000 fingerlings set to be released into each dam by 2025.

Deputy Minister of Lands,Agric,Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Davis Marapira said participation in fish leads to the development of the country through exportation of produce to the SADC regional market and other countries, thereby increasing incomes.

He said more fish ponds will be set to support people’s livelihoods adding that Manicaland is doing well in fish production.

Cde Marapira added that there is a need to build more breeding systems in Manicaland.

“Manicaland is a milestone ahead ,it has more than 200 fish farmers, in Honde valley state of the art using natural water from the mountains have set up a lot of fish ponds. We need to do currently is to build a lot of fish farming breeding systems in Manicaland so that we can actually provide a lot of fingerlings to our farmers they went even a step further they are now producing their own feed in Manicaland and other provinces.

We are looking at a situation where Zimbabwe is going to be a major exporter of tilapia in the region.

If you go to South Africa you will never see fish in the shops. We want to see our Zimbabwean tilapia in South Africa, in Mozambique, in Namibia and In Botswana.

In Zambia they eat more than 2thirds of their meals in fish, we want to export fish to Zambia, we will be the major exporter of fish in the region and international,” he said.

Dr Marapira added that the drilling of 35 000 by the Government was a way to improve communities so that they transform livelihoods through horticulture and aquaculture.

“We are going to put up 35 000 fish ponds. On youths’ programme, we are going to put two boreholes per every ward. Out of the two boreholes in every ward that means we are going to have another 4000 fish ponds. DDF is also going to drill boreholes at every school in the country, we have close to 10 000 schools that means we have extra 10 000 fish ponds in every school.

We are also going to have more than 50 000 farmers providing fish to the economy,” he said.

The World Food Programme estimates that about 1,5 million Zimbabweans, or about 18 percent of the population, are food-insecure. Nutritional value obtained from fish can help alleviate this situation.

Aquaculture can be a turning point to Zimbabwe’s economic growth through creation of employment for youths. Government’s move is in line with Vision 2030 working towards an upper-middle income economy by 2030, following the successful completion of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme.