The Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives launched projects worth KES 700 million to boost aquaculture and assist fishing communities affected by floods and COVID-19 and handed over farm machinery to rice producers.
Speaking at the workshop to endorse the Lake Region Economic Bloc Aquaculture Investment Blueprint, the CS Peter Munya noted the significant contribution of the Aquaculture sector to the counties and national GDP.
“Globally, aquaculture production has increased by 30 per cent every decade for the past 50 years. African production represents a meagre 2 per cent of global production, which is dominated by Asia, and Kenya only represents 4 per cent of the African market, which is led by South Africa at 56 per cent”, Munya said, noting that opportunities abound for young people whose movement from the region in search for employment had been curtailed by the COVID-19 safety restrictions.
The CS added that the country’s annual production at 160,600 metric tonnes chronically fell short of national consumption at 1,050,000 metric tonnes.
“From these statistics, we have a deficit of close to 986,000 metric tonnes with the deficit being imported from Pakistan and other countries.”
Carla Mucavi, the Food and Agriculture Organization Country Representative announced the upcoming opening of a Kisumu office to work closely with the LBREC, adding that fundraising efforts were underway to increase funding to the region to KES 1 billion.
The Lake Basin Aquaculture Economic Blueprint presents the socioeconomic aspirations of 10 counties in the Lake Basin Region and seeks to boldly secure and shape the region’s destiny despite harsh economic times.
The CEO of the Lake Basin Region Economic Bloc Abala Wanga, seeks to have revenue collected from fish ploughed back to improve infrastructure and the amendment of the Fisheries Management and Development Act (2016), to include operationalization of cage culture, review and lower tax bands on aquaculture inputs, and eradicate double taxation by harmonizing the fisheries licensing and revenue collection at the national level, within counties and in the bloc.
Kisumu Senator Rose Nyamunga who read Host Governor Anyang’ Nyong’os statement reiterated the urgency of investing in infrastructure in the region’s counties.
“The Lake Region has the potential to feed the nation if infrastructure challenges are addressed”, she said.
By Christabel Airo.
