Kapenta prices shoot up
CONTINUOUS heavy rains being experienced in most parts of the country have reduced Kapenta fishing business on Lake Kariba in Siavonga forcing kapenta prices to shoot up.
A check at Siavonga main harbour market found traders selling a 20kg bag of Kapenta at between K1,400 and K1,500 from the previous price of between K800 and K900.
Lake Kariba is the country's major producer and supplier of Kapenta fish, therefore, the cut in the supply chain as a result of bad weather conditions obtaining in the area is likely to push the prices in Lusaka and other major town where the sardine is mostly consumed.
A further check in Kariba Town on the Zimbabwean side, found a similar situation with most Fishing companies found docking their rigs at the harbour and workers sent on leave until the weather stabilizes.
Siavonga and Kariba towns are experiencing both day and night heavy rainfalls forcing Kapenta fishermen to halt their operations as they are not able to catch enough and are unable to dry the Kapenta due to lack of modern equipment. The kapenta is dried naturally in the sun.
Even the notorious illegal fishing gangs known as "PILIBUKA' have also being affected and have resorted to selling fresh Kapenta door to door in sounding compounds in order to raise money to keep their illegal businesses running.
Some fishermen spoken to by the Daily Nation in Siavonga said they had withdrawn from the lake until the rains subsided to avoid losses as they had no equipment to the dry their Kapenta and only depend on the sun. "The catches are fine but the problem is that it's always raining and therefore it's not possible to dry the fish so we end up with fresh Kapenta which has no market," said one of the Fishermen.
The fishermen have asked Government to set up modern equipment for drying fish as the weather is now unpredictable due to climate change as a result of global warming caused by many years of heavy industrialization in the western world.