HE was happy to receive the visitors, especially after learning that the
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock aquaculture deputy director
had travelled from Lusaka to the Copperbelt to interact with fish
farmers on how to go about their activities.
Ngoyi Kabwebwe is a peasant farmer of Ndola rural who has two
wives and 19 children. He decided to diversify from crop to fish
farming, the move he is confident will enable him generate more
money.
His decision came a year after he successfully invested about K700 in
fish farming, and was able to raise K2,000 after harvesting. Later, Mr
Kabwebwe was trained in fish farming by the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) after he was introduced to the UN body by one of
his neighbours.
Mr Kabwebwe explained to aquaculture deputy director John
Mwango recently that he got a loan of K80,000 from the Citizens
Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) which he is using to
construct seven more fish ponds.
Prior to getting a loan from CEEC, Mr Kabwebwe had one fish pond
which he made using the money he raised from the sale of his crop yields.
“I managed to buy fingerlings from Mwekera to stock my fish ponds,’’ Mr
Kabwebwe said.
Although he has not completely abandoned crop farming, Mr Kabwebwe
now concentrates more on fish farming, a venture he believes will earn
him more money.
He is not worried about where to get the fingerlings from because
Mwekera National Development Research Centre in Kitwe is just a
stone’s throw away from his farm.
The research centre produces fingerlings and also stocks parent fish.
Researchers at Mwekera monitor the temperature and quality of water.
This is done to ensure that the fish grows within a recommended
temperature.
Mwekera National Development Research Centre has 82 ponds, out of
which 32 have fingerlings.
The centre selects the best parent fish which produces the fingerlings by
September every year.
So, farmers like Mr Kabwebwe are assured that their decision to venture
into fish farming is not in vain, because they are able to buy the best
fingerlings from Mwekera research centre.
Mwekera National Development Research Centre acting principal
aquaculture research officer Ian Bbole said the demand for fingerlings is
on the rise because many people in surrounding communities have started
engaging in fish farming.
“Despite the increase in demand for fingerlings, we are able to meet the
demand. We supply fingerlings to the whole country,’’ Mr Bbole said at
Mwekera research centre in an interview recently.
According to Mr Bbole, Mr Kabwebwe is among the many farmers in the
country who have diversified from crop to fish farming.
To promote fish farming in the country, Mwekera National Development
Research Centre has, apart from producing fingerlings, initiated projects
aimed at improving and promoting the growth of indigenous fish species. The Kafue bream is among the local fish species which are being
promoted among farmers. Currently, some farmers are keeping the Nile
tilapia, which is a foreign fish species.
“Depending on the outcome of the research study of improving indigenous
species, we want to convince farmers to start using indigenous fish
species,’’ Mr Bbole said.
The other research project being conducted by Mwekera research centre is
the use of lemon, which has vitamin C, to boost fish growth.
Mr Bbole said officers from the fisheries department will collect lemons
from various parts of the country which will be used in the research.
“The idea is to get common lemon and include its extract in the fish feed
to see how it can improve the growth of fish,’’ Mr Bbole said.
To meet the increasing demand for fingerlings due to the rising number of
people engaging in fish farming, Mwekera National Development
Research Centre also has a hatchery.
Fisheries officers collect eggs from the parent fish and put them in the
hatchery laboratory. Indoor fish hatchery enables researchers to produce
more fingerlings, according to Mr Bbole.
Mr Bbole said most of the farmers who buy fingerlings from Mwekera
demand for male fish and not the female one. This is because the male
fish grows better and faster than the female one.
“To increase production of male fingerlings, we do what is called sex
reversal. When an egg hatches, we can within 21 days, convert the female
fish into the male one, and vice versa,’’ Mr Bbole said.
During the sex reversal process, the female fingerlings are given feed that
has a male hormone for 21 days.
Mwekera National Development Research Centre also has biological and
chemical laboratories where the institution keeps samples and does fish
analyses. Water quality is also analysed in these laboratories.
“We have seen an increase in the number of fish farmers, and this has
resulted in high demand for fingerlings from Mwekera National
Development Research Centre,’’ Copperbelt fisheries officer Edward
Manda said.
Titus Simwanza and Gerald Simbeye of Kalulushi have also gone into fish
farming. Although they have not harvested yet, they are optimistic that
they will make a fortune.
So far, the two are happy with the way their fingerlings are growing.
The only hurdle is the high cost of making fish ponds, which they said is
too expensive for small-scale farmers like them to manage.
New entrants in fish farming are constantly monitored and advised by
fisheries officers from Mwekera on how to nurture fish.
Mr Mwango, the aquaculture deputy director, said fish farming is a
lucrative business which can positively contribute to the country’s
economic development.
Mr Mwango, who recently visited fish farmers in Masaiti, Mpongwe,
Ndola rural and Kalulushi, said fish farming should be promoted in all
parts of the country.
Source:Zambia daily mail
What breed do u have and how much are fingerliings
ReplyDelete