EDITORIAL: LAKE VICTORIA FISH PROJECT HAS COME AT THE RIGHT TIME
The East African region is richly endowed with some of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, which are home to substantial fishery resources – with Lake Victoria alone harbouring about 350 different fish species. Yet, despite its huge potential, fishing has not been fully contributing to the economies of the East African countries.
This is largely because the sector is hampered by assorted challenges – including relentless climate change; declining Nile perch and tilapia fish stocks, as well as a rapidly-growing consumer population vis-à-vis inadequate investments and the requisite technical skills.
The European Union has stepped in the breach, allocating 10 million euros through its European Development Fund for a five-year Regional Indicative Project dubbed ‘TrueFish,’ and which was officially launched in Arusha on Monday. Intended to promote sustainable aquaculture as against traditional fishing that is proving inadequate with time, the new project will be coordinated by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO), a specialised institution of the East African Community (EAC).
According to EAC secretary-general Peter Mathuki, one major objective of the TrueFish project is “to address or remove impediments to growth in aquaculture faced by investors – for instance: lack of technical-skilled operators, investment finance, business planning and networks”.
The second objective is to address identified threats which could undermine the sustainability of aquaculture development, or could impact negatively on the environment, food security or livelihoods – especially biosecurity risks such as fish diseases and the introduction of non-native species that has led to the loss of biodiversity.
When all is said and done, the new TrueFish project is bound to benefit not only the six-nation EAC partner states, but also other regional and continental (African) countries.
With a surface area of 68,000km2 and a shoreline length of 3,400km, Lake Victoria is shared by the three EAC Partner States of Tanzania (49 percent); Uganda (45 percent) and Kenya (six percent).
IT’S A LAUDABLE DEVELOPMENT
Farmers, livestock keepers and fishermen complain over poor infrastructure, which they say leaves them counting losses year in, year out. However, there is good news that ongoing infrastructural upgrading has started paying dividends.
The Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) says there has been a significant improvement in incomes for those reached by projects associated with upgrading of infrastructure and capacity-building. This is a good start, although there is still a long way to go for such projects to reach farmers across the country.
Capacity building is imperative as farmers strive to get out of abject poverty. The budget and reforms for the 2021/22 financial year promise another milestone in agricultural development.
Indeed, it is difficult to improve all infrastructures at once. Nonetheless, implementation of such projects must not be at a snail’s pace.
Thousands of youth have been migrating to urban areas believing agriculture does not pay due to poor farming methods, crop losses and lack of markets. However, this is changing for the better, with farmers in TADB project areas developing a positive perception of agriculture as a lucrative activity.
The bank should not rest on its laurels because agriculture can still contribute more to the country’s gross domestic product.
