Yalelo Fisheries invests in fish feed plant

By MAILESI BANDA YALELO Fish Company will soon commission a fish milling plant in Siavonga with an initial production capacity of 25,000 tonnes and is expected to double to 50,000 tonnes in the first year of operation.

Yalelo managing director, Fisho Mwale said the plant would positively impact the economic growth of Siavonga since it would create over 300 jobs.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, Mr Mwale said the milling plant was aimed at building capacity for the fish farming business which would be producing about 40, 000 to 50, 000 tonnes of fish in the next five years from the current 7,500.

“We have gone into partnerships with one of the best people in fish feed manufacturing and we are constructing a feed milling plant in Siavonga with an initial feed producing capacity of 25,000 tones and this will increase to 50,000 after one year of operation,’ Mr Mwale said.

He said the total capacity of the plant would be 100, 000 tonnes of feed, adding that the growing aquaculture sector would provide an opportunity for small-scale farmers to venture into fish farming.

Mr Mwale explained that the setting up of the plant was meant to support the growth of the company which hoped to increase production within the next five years.

“Yalelo continues to positively impact the economy of Siavonga by employing 500 workers under Yalelo and an additional 300 will be employed at the fish milling plant which will be commissioned in the next few months,“Mr Mwale said.

He said the plant was an opportunity for the economic development of Siavonga. He noted that Yalelo had had a huge impact on the economic development of Siavonga.