Fish-farmers cry for funds …CEEC not approving loans

FARMERS have protested the alleged failure by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) to provide funds for Aquaculture Seed Fund Empowerment Initiative despite receiving several applications.

Earlier, the CEEC announced that funds for aquaculture empowerment were sitting idle and not being taken advantage of by targeted beneficiaries.

Small-Scale Fish Farmers Association (SSFA) interim chairperson, Victor Chatilika, said efforts to boost fish farming would remain a pipedream if intended beneficiaries did not access the funds.

Mr Chatilika said several farmers had applied for aquaculture loans form CEEC but were still not able to access the funds.

He said there was need for more funding to the aquaculture subsector to increase support to fish farmers.

This, he said, would enable the country close the fish deficit gap standing at over 80, 000 tonnes.

Mr Chatilika said from records, only 736 aquaculture business loan applications from across the country valued at 118.3 million were approved, leaving thousands more without funding.

"If CEEC is saying funds are laying idle because of low uptake by fish farmers, then we don't know what they mean because as far as we are concerned, many of our members who applied didn't make the final list," he said.

Mr Chatilika said the aquaculture project under the framework of the $50.89 million ZAEDP meant to promote the aquaculture had not yielded the desired results.

Mr Chatilika said without a new strategy, the country would not achieve the goal of reducing the fish deficit, estimated at 87, 000 tonnes annually.

"The development of the aquaculture value chain aimed at significantly contributing to poverty reduction, food and nutritional security in the country will not be realised without supporting the small-scale fish farmers," he said.