By HAPPY MULOLANI –

Merian Kalala, is a 56-years-old small scale farmer in Solwezi district in North-Western Province and has an insatiable passion for fish farming which she embarked on a few years ago.
Initially, Mrs. Kalala was not aware of the fish farming prospects, which could translate in tangible benefits for her family.
Her desire to venture into fish farming was necessitated by agriculture programmes on Lima Time on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation Television, which she and her husband watched.
Based on this, Mrs Kalala opted to acquire land to undertake her enterprise. She decided to invest in fish farming from some savings earned from NAPSA.
However, with facilitation from the Department of Fisheries in the district, to engage in aquaculture, it became apparent, that there was a lot of potential that could be realised from this enterprise.
She started with a few fish ponds and technical expertise offered to her and took up the venture seriously.
‘’The Department of Fisheries, assisted me in pegging 15 fish ponds, and this was a good starting point for me,’’ says Mrs. Kalala.
She said her average harvest has been 30 kilogrammes per pond, which translates to about 450 Kilogrammes.
Mrs. Kalala points out that the production of fish could be more if the appropriate fish stocks and feed is purchased.
“If feed for fish was readily available and ideal fingerlings were purchased, the production figures could even be 100 Kilogrammes per pond or even more,” she said.
Mrs Kalala says the demand for fish is very high and currently, what is required is to have more fish farmers to meet the market demand.
She said that, it is encouraging that demand for fish is available locally and in neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mrs. Kalala calls on more farmers to engage in the enterprise, noting that, a lot of interest in fish farming has been created among farmers.
Another fish farmer, Mutondo Kawilila, of Soltech area, explained that it will be good if new research findings can be explored and availed to fish farmers to promote the progression of the enterprise.
Mr. Kawilila said one of the factors affecting fish farming is low adoption of latest technology and its usage.
“There is limited research findings, that can be used to enhance the knowledge levels of fish farming,” he said.
Mr. Kawilila, has six fish ponds and also rears pigs and other livestock coupled with citrus fruits on his farm and is optimistic that fish farming will progress to a higher level, if fish farmers, have the passion and commitment.
He points out that, there is need for adequate funding for extension officers to strengthen fisheries and also enhance outreach to fish farmers.
He notes that despite fish farming being lucrative, it has had its own setbacks, such as problems in acquiring feed for fish and what has been evident, is the provision of locally made feed.
“The source of fingerlings, is a bit expensive because they have to be transported from Mwekera Research station and most farmers are not able to meet the transport costs of the fingerlings, hence depriving the local fish farmers of the rightful fingerlings that can grow to table size and sale profitably,” said Mr Kawilila.
Further, he says the high cost of feed to improve fish size to that of table size within the required time makes it difficult for farmers to have a good return for their investment.
While, another fish farmer Milupi Liswaniso expresses concern at challenges having to access land and enable fishers to set-up their aquaculture enterprises.
Mr. Liswaniso notes that lack of collateral is also another challenge for most farmers as they may not be able to acquire loans from banks because of lack of some form of security.
He says fish predators have also been one of the challenges, affecting fish farmers, hence, the need to devise practices that can assist fish farmers have increased production.
North-Western Province Principal Fisheries Officer Alick Mbewe said there is presently low catches of fish from natural water bodies, thus aquaculture can supplement the decline of fish. Mr. Mbewe further said fish farmers can gain profits if they seriously engage in aquaculture although he bemoans the lack of a regulatory framework to protect fish farmers and also enhance aquaculture as an enterprise.
“There must be a deliberate regulatory framework to boost aquaculture, that needs to be put in place, to ensure the enterprise gets to a better level,” he explained.
A Consultant on aquaculture Intervention Plan Christian Chileshe, says public extension has to be targeted, while also encouraging the private sector to develop the sector by catering for those farmers that are more at a higher level.
Mr. Chileshe is of the view that not all fish farmers need to utilise public extension, since there are other farmers, who have the financial capacity to utilise the private sector to lessen the pressure on the public sector.
‘’We need to develop the private sector to boost aquaculture further but we are failing because of the way we think, which is affecting the private participation,’’ says Mr Chileshe.
He observes that, there is need to ensure sustainability of the enterprise, noting that once people focus in a specific direction in an enterprise, sustainability will be guaranteed.
Mr. Chileshe points out, that once farmers take a specific course of action, they will continue on that path to avoid destroying enterprises already initiated.
He also observes that fish farmers need to take fish farming as a business and have an entrepreneurial mind-set, if they are to realise reasonable profits.
“If fish farmers do not develop entrepreneural thinking, it will pose challenges in aquaculture progression,” says Chileshe.
He is of the view that, there is need to also look at aspects of aquaculture that need to be exploited and have a positive mind-set.
The Aquaculture Intervention Plan is being supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, through the Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (SAPP), which is funded by the International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD).
SAPP Focal Point Person, Namangolwa Chimba explains that the programme will support aquaculture this year and will ensure groups are empowered in this value chain.
Ms Chimba encourages more farmers to take advantage of the abundant natural resources such as land and water, which the province was highly endowed with.
She also pointed out that there was need for fish farmers to seriously consider value addition if they are to make more profits.
And SAPP Programme Manager Kwibisa Lywalii says that SAPP has been mandated to implement and support the aquaculture intervention plan, for the next two years.
“The key areas of support are selected districts on the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces, which has individual farmers engaged in aquaculture and it is envisaged that by the time, the programme phases out, a critical mass of fish farmers would have been empowered,” says Mr Lywalii.
He also pointed out that despite aquaculture being supported, viable groups and individual farmers will be funded on a competitive basis even in other areas, as long as there is demand.
This came to light during an Aquaculture Team Building workshop held in Solwezi recently, whose objective was to identify and develop commodity teams and clusters that will be supported as well as validate the aquaculture Intervention Plan.
Suffice to say, the aquaculture enterprise has notably, received immense support from government, stakeholders and farmers. With this in mind, aquaculture is expected to boost food security and an alternative to supplement the low fish catches evidenced so far in the water bodies.
It is eminent, that what is required is to support aquaculture in order to create not only a critical mass of  farmers engaged in this intervention plan but also contribute to food security and also make up for the shortfall of fish in the country.
Therefore, aquaculture needs to be promoted among small scale farmers as an Intervention Plan, which farmers can significantly benefit from.-NAIS