Fish industry lacks govt's attention, says Phiri
By Pride Bwalya in Monze
Thu 28 Mar. 2013, 14:00 CAT
THE Department of Fisheries in Monze says the fish industry has not received much attention as a vibrant industry that can contribute to national development.
In an interview at Mansangu Research Station, the departments senior research officer Simon Phiri called on the government to effectively support the fish industry because of its potential to contribute to the country's economic development.
Phiri said government needed to pump in a lot of money to revamp the industry and ensure that management of fisheries was made effective.
He said that there was need to invest in research programmes that were an integral part of fisheries management by equipping the department with the required equipment and tools for carrying out research programmes.
Phiri said Mansangu Research Station had the potential and all it required was increased support from the government in terms of adequate funding, transport and staff as lack of all these had critically affected operations of the department on the Kafue flats.
He said that the laboratory that was put up at a cost of KR14,000 in 2011 at the station was fully operational, installed with a biological microscope through efforts made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock particularly the Department of Fisheries and was being used to carry out research activities on the Kafue flats that lie on the Kafue river.
Phiri said that the laboratory was also equipped with other types of equipment and specimen such as a water analysis kit, zoo plankton net, test kits which were used to undertake data analysis, fixing samples, a zoo plankton and phytoplankton.
He explained that currently, the Department of Fisheries was carrying out a stock assessment survey on the Chunga lagoon of the Kafue flats to ascertain the status of fish stocks in a given fishery at a particular time.
Phiri said that under the stock assessment survey, there was also gillnet survey which involved experimental gillnetting with a fleet of nets of different mesh sizes to determine the catch of its species composities, growth parameters and breeding status among others.
He further called on the government to ensure that the fisheries act was reinforced in order to help the department effectively control illegal fishing methods that had affected the breeding of fish.
Phiri said that fishing during the ban was a challenge to control due to lack of both water and road transport at the department to carryout patrols and monitoring.
Labels: FISHING, SIMON PHIRI
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Zambia imports lots of fish from neighbours
Time Posted: February 21, 2013 7:26 am
Zambia imports between 4,626 and 16, 077 tonnes of fish annually from neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia. Deputy Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Richard Taima has told parliament today that the total amount of fish importationannually from 2006 to 2011 has been fluctuating between 4,626 to 16, 077 tonnes.
Mr Taima stated that cumulative totals indicate that 10,846 tonnes was imported from Zimbabwe, 6196 tonnes from China, 6,073 tonnes from Namibia and 4,732 tonnes from Mozambique.
The Minister disclosed that in 2006 the country spend K22,254 million, in 2007 K30,607 million and in 2008 the country spent KR 16,609 while in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the country spent KR26,588 million, KR28,450 million and K156,749 million.
He added that the imported fish is from natural water bodies and also from the fish farms in both fresh and marine waters but noted that most of the fish comes from fish farms.
The Minister said government is not aware of the type of feed the fish is fed on and appealed to the members of the house and others to provide information for government to base on to institute investigations to find out if the imported fish has bad effects on human once consumed.
The Minister was responding to Senga Hills MP, Kapembwa Simbao, who wanted to know whether fish is currently being imported into the country for sale to the public and the type of fish and also the amount of fish imported into the country per year and from which country.
Mr Simbao also wanted to know whether the imported fish was from natural water bodies or from fish farms and how much money is being spent on the importation of fish each and if the members of the public are aware that they have been consuming imported fish.
On the concerns that the country could be importing fish that could have bad effects on human beings, the Acting Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Emmanuel Chenda, assured the house that government would investigate.
And Speaker of the National Assembly, Patrick Matibini, has ordered the Minister of Finance, Alexander Chikwanda, to issue a Ministerial statement to the House on Tuesday next week on the continued depression of the Kwacha against foreign currencies, especially the dollar.
This followed the point of order raised by Monze MP, Jack Mwiimbu, who asked the speaker to rule whether it was in order for government to remain quiet when the Kwacha was depreciating against other currencies despite assurances when the house was debating the 2013 National Budget.
ZANIS
Labels: FISHING, IMPORTS, MALAWI
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Illegal fishing on Lake Kariba worries Hankolwe
By Cynthia Phiri in Choma
Sun 18 Mar. 2012, 11:57 CAT
THE Fisheries Department in Sinazongwe fears that Zambia's bilateral relations with neighbouring Zimbabwe will sour because of illegal fishing being done by Zambians on the Zimbabwean side of Lake Kariba.
In an interview, Department of Fisheries officer-in-charge Bornwell Hankolwe said the department in Sinazonzwe was facing a lot of challenges in curbing illegal fishing as most local fishermen were invading Zimbabwean waters.
"Most fishermen have opted to live on the islands as opposed to designated fish villages making it difficult for the department to have meetings with them and because they are not around to get guidance on the do's and don'ts they are invading the Zimbabwean waters which is posing a threat on Zambia's bilateral relations with Zimbabwe," Hankolwe said.
He said because of the open access policy on fishing, many people had come from other fishing areas to Lake Kariba with sophisticated and illegal methods of fishing such as the use of mosquito nets, among others.
He said most fishermen were now residing on Lake Kariba islands, hence invading the Zimbabwean waters to fish illegally.
"We have so many challenges; we have so many people that are residing on the island," said Hankolwe.
"…island settlement is illegal. Our Department does not allow people to live on the island permanently, there are designated fish villages where fishermen are supposed to live so that it is easy for us to have meetings with them."
Labels: BORDERS, FISHING, LAKE KARIBA
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Fishing co-operatives face challenges
Saturday, 21 May 2011 21:09
By Emilia Zindi
recently in Chibuyu, Binga
MEMBERS of the Chizuminano co-operative arrive from a night fishing trip with only two trays weighing less than 100kg. FISHING co-operatives operating in Kariba Dam in the Chibuyu area of Binga are appealing for assistance in the form of boats and nets to boost their operations.
The co-operatives, whose membership numbers from 20 to 30, are facing serious operating challenges as they compete with established companies in the kapenta fishing industry.
The members of the co-operatives are using dilapidated boats, with some being forced to use canoes.
This is in sharp contrast with established companies that are using well-equipped fishing boats.
The established companies are enjoying bigger catches than the co-operative members, yet the two sides are competing for the same market.
One such fishing co-operative that has problems with its equipment is Chizuminano, whose membership stands at 10. Co-operative secretary Mr Siyamukange Manheru said they started the venture in 1993.
He said since then members had only managed to buy a single boat.
“If we can have more than one boat, things will improve as we are competing with big companies that have more than three boats,’’ said Mr Manheru.
He said due to the shortage of fishing boats, the co-operative was able to catch only between four and five tonnes a month compared to the established companies that can haul in more than 20 tonnes.
Mr Manheru said while the co-operative has three licences, it had only been able to use one due to a lack of fishing boats and nets.
He said as a result of shortage of equipment, established companies had taken advantage and were now fishing in areas demarcated for co-operatives.
“The dam is divided into basins, with us owning the area that covers Kudu,” said Mr Manheru. “But we are seeing companies fishing in our area as their areas are not giving them a good catch during this period.’’
Mr Manheru said since they competed with established companies, it was equally important that roads leading to the fishing camps be accessible as co-operatives did not have transport to take their produce to the market as was the case with the big companies.
“We have to wait for customers to come to us of which not many do so because of poor roads,” he said.
“So you find that we can get stuck with our kapenta, while the companies push their catch fast.’’
Mr Manheru said it was the responsibility of the National Parks and Wildlife Authority to see to it that companies did not encroach onto areas reserved for cooperatives.
A parks official in the area, who refused to be named, said they acted only if the co-operatives reported the cases.
He said it was common during this time of the season that certain areas of the dam could have less kapenta.
As a result, there was a lot of encroaching onto each other’s areas, but the operators had to understand their areas of jurisdiction.
The official bemoaned the need to give a break on kapenta fishing in the lake to allow breeding.
He said it was sad that it was only in Zimbabwe where kapenta fishing was conducted non-stop, yet in countries such as Malawi a three-month break is observed every year.
“Global warming is causing reduction in breeding as the plant that the kapenta feed on is being destroyed,’’ said the parks official.
- The Sunday Mail
Labels: COOPERATIVES, FISHING, KARIBA
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Fisheries dept bemoans fish depletion on Lake Tanganyika
By Emmanuel Kapampa in Mpulungu and Lawrence Kabutu in Kalomo
Sun 11 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT
THE FISHERIES Department in Mpulungu is alarmed at the rate fish stocks are depleting on Lake Tanganyika due to overfishing.
In an interview, district fisheries officer Lloyd Haambiya said the department would by mid this year embark on a massive sensitisation campaign to warn people on the dangers of overfishing.
He said the problem had been exacerbated because over 80 per cent of the population in Mpulungu depended on fishing for their livelihood.
‘’What we now know is that there is so much pressure on the lake. Along the shores alone, there are over 48 fishing camps. And one day, we might wake up to find lake Tanganyika is just a bathing tub, without fish,’’ he said.
He said the sensitisation campaigns would also target young people in schools and the core message would be fish conservation and to let people know the implications of depleting fish stock on Lake Tanganyika.
Haambiya revealed that the department would use several communication tools such as drama performances, public talks, publications, social communications and the press.
He said the sensitisation campaigns had been long overdue, adding that the problem of overfishing had been ignored for a long time.
Haambiya added that the department will in the meantime work with UNDP to carry out the campaigns. He appealed to other stakeholders and interested parties to come on board and fight overfishing on Lake Tanganyika.
And the Fisheries Department in Kalomo has stepped up activities at Kanchele fish farm aimed at meeting the demand of finger rings (fish seed) to fish farmers in Southern Province.
Kalomo district fisheries officer Roy Wakumelo said the Kanchele Fish Farm which is the only fish seed centre in Southern Province was also integrating fish farming with piggery and poultry production that included duck rearing.
He explained that the fish and fish seed distribution would be very beneficial to the farming community and the residents on the plateau districts where fish was scarce and expensive.
Wakumelo indicated that farmers in the province should diversify into fish farming as an income-generating activity if their farming was to be a viable enterprise.
He disclosed that the fish farm would be selling fish from the ponds at the centre in a bid to improve the nutrition of the farming community and collect revenue for the government.
He observed that the department of fisheries in Kalomo district was encouraging fish farmers to rear pigs and ducks in order to use the droppings as manure for the fishponds so as to grow the plankton which was the natural food for the fish.
Wakumelo was optimistic that the fish farm would be productive as a fish seed centre in the province and meet the growing demand of fish seed.
Labels: FISHING
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How global market prices, weather affected Uganda’s trade returns
By Dorothy Nakaweesi (email the author)
Posted Wednesday, December 30 2009 at 00:00
In Summary
Tea, one of Uganda’s top five export earners suffered harsh weather conditions and exchange rate problems against the shilling in 2009. The price of fertilizers, a major input in the production of tea, went up thereby eating deep into exporters’ profits.
As 2009 comes to a close, Dorothy Nakaweesi makes a recap of major events and highlights in the commodities trade. Most commodities were affected by poor weather conditions and faltering prices on the international market.
Coffee
Coffee, Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earner was hit by unexpected shocks including the international economic recession and disease out-breaks and hostile weather.
The country registered a 25 per cent drop, cumulating to almost Shs200 billion worth of revenue missed in 2008/9 coffee year exports.
According to a September report, the month of the coffee year from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, the country earned Shs568 billion in 2008/9 down from the previous years’ Shs757 billion.
“The value per metric tonne alone from August 2008-August 2009 dropped by 30 per cent. This means during this period alone we lost 800 metric tonnes,” said Mr Markus Vogel, the managing director, Ugacof Ltd, one of the coffee export firms.
“This is something which was beyond our control.”
Coffee is a source of livelihood to thousands of Ugandans especially those living in rural areas. A slump in earnings only means farmers are more affected and therefore unable to meet their daily spending needs.
The UCDA report further indicates that the volume of exports in that coffee year also dropped by 4.8 per cent. The country exported a total of 3,057,970 bags of coffee down from 3,211,256 exported in 2007/8.
Tea
Tea, one of Uganda’s top five export earners suffered harsh weather conditions and exchange rate problems against the shilling in 2009. The price of fertilizers, a major input in the production of tea, went up thereby eating deep into exporters’ profits.
Uganda imports all its fertilisers and other inputs for tea production from mainly Middle East and Europe.
“We used to buy each 5kg bag of fertilisers a year ago at Shs50,000. But this has since gone up to Shs120,000. We have no choice but to incur these costs if you are to have better yields,” Ms Hope Mugyenyi of Royale Tea, a small grower company, said.
Last year Uganda earned over Shs129.2 billion from close to 45 million bags of tea exported and projections for 2009 stood at over 46 million kilogrammes.
“The coming of the rains is a positive change in production. If it continues raining then we anticipate earning an average of Shs149.2 Billion,” Mr George William Ssekitooleko, the acting secretary general, Uganda Tea Association (UTA), said. Prices at the Mombasa auction have been high for the last two consecutive years sometimes hitting an average $1.8 (Shs3, 357) to $1.9 (Shs3, 543) per kilogramme.
Flowers
Once Uganda’s promising non-traditional export has performed below expectation this year. Exports volumes dropped despite the availability of good soils and weather, and the cheap labour.
Mr Joroen Verheul, Netherlands Ambassador, a country which largely consumes all Uganda’s flower exports said local conditions are inadequate and need to be improved.
Flower growers and exporters have complained of poor road infrastructure, expensive electricity and high freight charges as being the reasons for the poor performance.
This year however, a 10-year tax holiday to companies engaged in value added exports such as the flower sector, withholding tax exemptions, stamp duty exemption in share capital and mortgages was approved.
Fish Sector
Fish production has had one of the bleakest pictures after reports of depletion. There has been a continuous decline in both the volume and value of fish. By June, volumes stood at 8,212 tonnes, way below the 11,903 tonnes, exported in 2007 around the same time.
Value received a boost by the strong dollar over the last six months earning the country Shs80.5 billion down from Shs120 billion recorded around the same time last year.
Last year Uganda’s fish export brought in under $115 million (Shs224 billion) from about 23,000 tonnes of processed fish. This is another drop of $20 million (Shs39 billion) compared to the previous year. This brought about a loss of over Shs58.5 billion compared to the country’s best year, 2005 in which nearly Shs282 billion to premium markets and another Shs58.5 billion to regional markets was earned.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, COFFEE, COMMODITIES, FISHING, FLOWERS, TEA, UGANDA
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Six arrested over radio presenter’s burnt house
Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 16:38
Police in Nchelenge district in Luapula province have arrested six people in connection with the burning of a house belonging to a presenter at a local radio station.
Confirming the development to ZANIS, Luapula Province Police Chief, Auxencio Mbewe said the six men were picked up in the early hours of today in Kenani area.
The Provincial police chief said the men have been detained to help with police investigations in the case where Philip Kambiko, a presenter at radio Luapula lost property worth millions of kwacha after unknown people burnt his house on Saturday night.
He said the men who were apprehended with the help of the community are being held at Nchelenge police station. Mr Mbewe has paid tribute to members of the public for the support they have rendered to the police in the investigation of the matter.
It is believed that Mr Kambiko’s house was burned by people who were not happy with his condemning of destructive fishing methods being used on Lake Mweru during one of his programmes.
ZANIS
Labels: FISHING, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, RADIO
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