37 000 fishponds for villages
GOVERNMENT plans to develop around 37 000 village fish ponds countrywide to facilitate the development of the fisheries sector and foster food security and sustainable livelihoods for millions of Zimbabweans living in rural areas.
Under the programme, a fish pond with supporting cold chain facilities will be developed for each of the country’s 35 000 villages.
The initiative is envisaged to facilitate growth of the fisheries sector to a US$1 billion industry by 2030.
Addressing stakeholders in the aquaculture and fisheries sector last week, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri said: “Zimbabwe is well-resourced, with over 10 700 water bodies such as dams and weirs.
“In addition, the Government is working tirelessly to facilitate fisheries production through enabling policies, which include borehole drilling in each village, targeting 36 900 boreholes, and in every school.
“Each borehole will have a fish pond so as to promote fish production and improve the nutritional status of citizens.”
Prof Jiri said aquaculture can play a significant role towards the attainment of Vision 2030.
“NDS1 (National Development Strategy 1) and Vision 2030 recognise the importance of fisheries and aquaculture to drive economic growth through diversifying the economy and reducing over reliance on traditional sectors,” he said.
“The expansion of fish farming operations can expand export opportunities, enhance economic resilience and provide income-generating activities for individuals and communities, particularly in rural areas, thus reducing poverty and improving livelihoods.”
The fish ponds, he said, will complement the high-impact fisheries projects being undertaken at larger water bodies.
“The fish ponds will be at the grassroots level, but we have high-impact projects at larger water bodies like Lake Kariba.
“Zimbabwe is also on a massive dam construction programme that will see 12 dams adding to the existing water bodies, and all these will be utilised by the fisheries and aquaculture sector,” said Prof Jiri.
He said habitat degradation, inadequate governance, shortages of fingerlings and climate change were negatively impacting growth of the sector.
The Government, he added, is presently formulating a Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy that will align Zimbabwe’s aquaculture sector with regional, continental and international frameworks.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources Department director Mr Milton Makumbe said the programme was progressing well.
“We hosted the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) delegates as we were trying to come up with a policy that is coherent with the AU and international frameworks,” he said.
“The idea is to make aquaculture and fishing sustainable so that they contribute towards the development and economic growth of our nation without harming the environment and ensure the water resources are not depleted.”
Zimbabwe produces around 18 000 tonnes of fish annually, against a national demand of 30 000 tonnes.