Bhisho to give R9m funding boost for fish farming

THE Eastern Cape department of rural development and agrarian reform (DRDAR) will this year revive fish farming and the hatchery at the Mthatha Dam thanks to a R700 000 cash allocation.

The project is part of a R9million injection in the provincial expansion of aquaculture production.

The bulk of the funding, a total of R8.3-million, will be used to expand production through the incubation programme in the Karoo-Catch aquaculture facility at the Beyers Naude local municipality.

The announcement was made by DRDAR MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane during the South African Maritime Industry Conference 2017 (Samic) in Port Elizabeth yesterday.

The conference, which started on Wednesday and ends today, attracted researchers, academics, investors, government officials and international maritime experts.

“Our department is reviving the hatchery and fish farm at Mthatha Dam,” Qoboshiyane said. “We will also use Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute for aquaculture training and incubation, and develop cost-effective and sustainable aquaculture systems in partnership with Lower Saxony-based Göttingen University.”

The expansion, Qoboshiyane said, would increase production capacity by 792 tons of fish per year with a gross value of R42-million, creating 210 jobs.

“Furthermore, the department, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, will undertake capacity building programmes, to empower all the fishing communities,” Qoboshiyane recently revealed in his policy speech.

As part of the intervention in the aquaculture industry, the Eastern Cape government has also identified five aquaculture development zones (ADZ), which use seawater in Qholorha, Centane, East London IDZ, Hamburg, Coega IDZ, and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Qoboshiyane said the project in Qholorha, currently in the design stage, will require a huge capital injection to put up a seawater reservoir and bulk infrastructure.

“Though two operators from the East London Industrial Development Zone, Oceanwise and Pure Ocean, were liquidated owing to huge operational costs, seven out of 11 aquaculture sites have secured investors and the IDZ is progressing well in securing other investors.

“The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has since allocated a R40-million investment incentive to the EL IDZ for this sector to attract investors while the IDZ is working with the Scandinavian company, ACVA, to design cost-effective infrastructure to ensure sustainability,” Qoboshiyane said.

Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande, who also attended, said his department would work to ensure universities produced maritime sector graduates.

Transnet ports authorities in East London, Port Elizabeth and Ngqurha ports have reportedly approved plans to develop maritime training centres to develop “specialised skills” in each port.

Qoboshiyane said the East London port will start processes to open its academy during this month. “South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) is currently developing a specialised maritime curriculum for the TVET colleges whilst the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University has established a marine engineering department.” —