SORT OUT FISH ILLS

THERE is a problem in the aquaculture sector which Government must face head on to ensure that the sector does not leave anyone behind.

It is quite clear that there are contending forces on the ground which must be dealt with for the country’s fish industry to tick and make a positive contribution to the country’s development.

It makes sad reading to learn that the government has failed to identify and deal with the problem pertaining to the aquaculture subsector.

The bone of contention is the restriction on the production of hybrid tilapia breed which has been confined to only three provinces leaving out the rest.

This discrimination has led to the government losing over K3.5 billion annually in fish imports due to its restrictive policy on production of hybrid tilapia, according to Kanchibiya Member of Parliament, Sunday Chanda.

Mr Chanda said currently, only fish farmers in three regions, Southern, Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces were allowed to grow hybrid Tilapia to the exclusion of other seven provinces.

What has raised eyebrows is that the government has failed to give reasons why it has allowed this restrictive policy to remain in place without giving compelling reasons.

No wonder the other regions have cried foul as they are at a disadvantage.

We agree with Mr Chanda on the need for Government to interrogate the policy as it was disadvantaging the Zambian aquaculture subsector which if well managed could make the country a net exporter of fish to the regional market and beyond.

As the Kanchibiya MP noted, it was hypocritical for the country to continue importing hybrid Tilapia fish and other species while at the same time implementing restrictions on the local production.

Could it be that there is a cartel of importers of fish in the country who were against allowing the country to grow enough fish because they feared that they would lose their hold on the local fish market?

“There is a cartel with this industry of those who import fish and would not want the local capacity to grow so they will fight anything that goes to improve local fish production so that they have a hold on the market,” Mr Chanda said. There could not be any other reason.

What this transcends into is that because of the refusal to lift the ban on growing of hybrid tilapia, farmers in the affected areas are forced to produce fish varieties that take long to mature resulting in the high cost of production.

This, as other stakeholders have noted, has. resulted in farmers who got loans from the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) for fish production to fail to pay back their loans.

Ironically, as Mr Chanda noted, it was sad that the same fish government had banned was the same fish the country was importing from other countries like South Africa and China.

This status quo must not continue. The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries must step up and deal with this.