Govt launches aquaculture baseline survey in central region
Fishermen collect fish from cages at Tende Bay in Garuga village in Katabi town council, Wakiso District. Photo | Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- The minister noted that the main challenge had been limited data, unreliable data, and also hardships in accessing the data. That's why we have come up with this project as a way of eliminating these challenges.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) has launched an Aquaculture Baseline Survey for Central Uganda intended to generate data about Ugandans that are involved in Aquaculture at the lowest level.
Speaking at the launch held at Kajjansi Aquaculture Research and Development Center this week, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Rtd. Maj. Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, said that this will help to know their capacity and challenges among other things.
“Once the survey is accomplished, it will be a stepping stone for planning, purposes of investment, and other needs. The data generated will be utilised not only by the government but also by the private sector and the entire world,” he said, noting that other regions in the country have already had similar surveys.
This activity promotes the Environmentally Sustainable Commercial Aquaculture Project (PESCA) in Uganda funded by the European Union which is part of a 10,000,000 Euro grant to MAAIF.
The minister noted that the main challenge had been limited data, unreliable data, and also hardships in accessing the data. That's why we have come up with this project as a way of eliminating these challenges.
Mr Paul Bwire Omanyi, the Assistant Commissioner Maaif, under the Directorate of Fisheries Resources, said: “Uganda produces 120,000 tonnes from aquaculture annually but the fisheries policy and aquaculture authenticity has given us a task to raise to a goal of 1,000,000 tonnes annually from aquaculture and in order to achieve it, we are going to utilize the wetlands so that we raise the production.”
The programs manager of Business Summit Africa-Uganda, Mr Solomon Lean Ilukol said: ”They have come in to implement Lot 2 which is for establishing a one-stop-shop for potential investors in aquaculture and undertaking a baseline survey will eventually update the aquaculture database management information system, establishing the production capacities and volumes of the existing aquaculture infrastructures."
It will also enable them to know where these infrastructures are in terms of getting their GPS location, and understanding how fish farmers access markets and inputs.
