LUGARI, Kenya, Feb 24 – Some 113 fish farmers in Lugari Sub County, Kakamega County, have benefited from 21.5 tonnes of fish feeds to ramp up their production capacity.The farmers received the free feeds courtesy of the Aquaculture Business Development Program (ABDP); a venture funded by the Kenyan Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), aimed at reducing poverty, increasing food security and improving the nutritional status in rural communities.
Speaking during the distribution exercise at Lumakanda on Thursday the Sub County Fisheries Officer Caleb Sifuna urged residents to diversify and embrace fish farming not just as an income generating activity but also due to the nutritional value of fish.
Sifuna said the ABDP will run for eight years and the department hopes after the period the farmers will have uplifted themselves.He appealed to farmers who have not embraced the program to shift to modern ways of fish farming for better yields.He said: “The farmers have received free fish feeds today and we appeal to them to capitalize on the support to boost fish production in the sub county. From the free feed we have distributed we expect a harvest of over 10 tonnes of fish.“The support is also meant to encourage them to be self-reliant in that when they harvest fish from their ponds they will be able to sustain themselves without relying on the government.”
Sifuna noted that they shall be making follow ups to ensure the fish are fed properly.
He said under the program farmers will also be issued with pond liners; a special kind of polythene paper to utilize during droughts or in areas with inadequate water.“The fish farmers are also facing theft challenges and in some instances birds and other wild animals are invading their ponds. Henceforth they will be given predator protection nets to safe guard the ponds,” Sifuna promised.He disclosed that county government has kicked-off a program to establish ponds and avail fingerlings to aid poor farmers.“Let Lugari residents without financial ability visit the fisheries or the community administrators’ offices where they will be issued with application forms to seek support,” he advised.Francis Muya, a beneficiary of the free feeds, lauded the fisheries department for identifying and recruiting them to be part of the Aquaculture Business Development Program.“Lack of adequate food for our fish has been the biggest challenge bedeviling fish farmers. However since the introduction of the program we have benefited a lot. The challenge is now on our side as farmers to work hard,” Muya said.
He urged farmers to diversify to fish farming for additional income and for nutritional value to the children.
Lawrence Gini on his part said Lugari has the potential for fish farming but it has been lagging behind due to numerous challenges which are now being addressed under ABDP.“The fisheries department is now giving out improved fingerlings, feeds, pond liners and predator protection nets. If this goes on we shall be able to eradicate poverty and improve our community’s nutritional status,” he said.The Aquaculture Business Development Program is envisaged as national in scope but targeting counties with high concentration of aquaculture activity, high production, existing sectoral infrastructure (processing, marketing and research), adequate water resources and marketing potential.In the pilot phase the programme targets fifteen counties of Migori, Kakamega, Homa Bay, Nyeri, Meru, Kirinyaga, Tharaka-Nithi, Kisii, Kisumu, Siaya, Busia, Embu, Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado and is expected to expand further on a need basis.Under the program about 581 farmers in Kakamega County were recently identified and each is set to receive 1000 monosex tilapia fingerlings.
