Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Michael Usi has said Malawi will start producing fish feed by June.
Farmers are buying 25 kilogrammes of the imported feed at around K43,000, a price rated by most as exorbitant.
But speaking after touring Mzuzu Aquaculture Centre, Usi said he is happy that with support from development partners, Malawi will have fish feed machines to be installed at Lubinga in Mzuzu city.
Usi said if the machine is stalled in the shortest period of time, it means many people will venture into fish farming thereby helping reduce the prices of fish on the local market.
“Fish from Zambia is sold at lower prices compared to our own fish here. One of the contributing factors is because our farmers here import feed from Zambia and they buy at high prices.
“Now that this machine will be installed in three months, it means we will start producing our own fish feed in the country and farmers will be buying at reasonable prices, thereby increasing fish production in the country,” Usi said.
He said if the country produces large quantities of fish, farmers will be exporting, thereby nation gaining forex, apart from lowering fish prices at local markets.
Usi also said he is impressed with the prospects of Mzuzu Aquaculture Centre producing numerous fingerlings, which will be distributed to farmers.
Mzuzu Aquaculture Centre Manager David Mbamba points out that effective management of a hectare of a pond can yield an average of six tons of fish.
“If the six tonnes of this fish can be sold at an average price of K4000 per kilogramme, this could be about K24 million from that small piece of land. You cannot plant anything there to get the amount of the money that I have mentioned,” Mbamba said.
Mbamba who works with over 100 fish farmers in the Northern Region said he is happy that the government in conjunction with development, partners, has bought fish feed production machines which will help to address the problem.
Meanwhile, Usi has instructed officials from the Department of Fisheries to restock approximately 100 dams and ponds identified by the government across the country within six months.
The government aims to utilise all identified small water bodies, such as ponds and dams, for the fishing industry, rather than solely for irrigation purposes.
According to a recent study, Malawi harvests 10,000 metric tonnes of fish per year and the government is optimistic that, with such initiatives, the figure could rise to about 30,000 per year by 2030.
