Households to benefit from command fisheries

ABOUT 80 000 households are expected to receive support from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) in rolling out the Command Fisheries programme.

The project will target villages, with 10 000 beneficiaries coming from each of the eight non-metropolitan provinces.

Zimparks spokesperson, Mr Tinashe Farawo said, the initiative will create employment at grassroots level.

“The programme aims at fish production and commercial fish production at the village level to improve food security and livelihoods.

‘‘ It is also going to create employment for thousands of people. We are in the process of implementing the projects through identifying the willing beneficiaries and providing support.”

Mr Farawo said Zimparks will provide fingerlings, technical assistance for pond construction and expertise in fish rearing.

“We are going to ensure that beneficiaries receive the relevant know-how to yield desired results. We are also going to provide 1, 5 million fi ngerlings, in addition to 2 million that we have already supplied for the larger provincial dams,” he said.

The Command Fisheries initiative is one of the programmes identified by Government to boost production in sub-sectors of the economy in line with the broader goal of improving food security.

It is anticipated that the programme will rejuvenate the country’s fisheries industry and earn the much-needed foreign currency through exports.