GOVERNOR MRUTTU LANCHES "EAT MORE FISH CAMPAIGN"

Categories: BUSINESS

GOVERNOR MRUTTU LANCHES “EAT MORE FISH CAMPAIGN”

Governor Eng. John Mruttu has urged County residents to embrace fish farming because the County has potential for fish production. Speaking in Ngerenyi, Mwatate Sub County during the launch of â€˜â€˜Eat More Fish Campaignâ€™â€™, Eng. Mruttu says the County has enough water bodies that can be used for fish production.

â€˜â€˜We need to fully exploit fish farming in our County, since we are endowed with water bodies that are crucial in fish production. We have Lake Challa and Lake Jipe and various dams which can be used for fish farming,â€™â€™ said Eng. Mruttu.

Governor Mruttu has inidicated that the County Government has put in place measures to address the challenges that are involved in fish production.

â€˜â€˜I understand fish farming has a lot of challenges, key among them is availability of fish feeds which are expensive beyond the reach of many. Currently a 25kg bag of pelletised fish feed costs around Kshs. 3,000 but my government has installed a fish pelletising machine in Taveta which has a capacity to produce 400kgs of feed per day. With this we are selling the same 25kg bag at Kshs.1,300,â€™â€™ said Eng. Mruttu.

Lack of quality fish fingerlings has also been dealt with, as in the last two years the County Government has supplied fish farmers with more than 500,000 fingerlings at a cost of Kshs. 4 million giving a potential fish harvest valued at Kshs. 115 million.

During the launch of the campaign, Governor Mruttu also launched 15 motorcycles that will be used by extension officers of Fisheries and Livestock Department that will be crucial in increasing their mobility in providing various services to farmers.

Governor Mruttu said fish farming is a lucrative venture that can be used to reduce poverty levels in the County, as fish fetch good prices in the market.

â€˜â€˜Fish farming is a venture that can reduce poverty levels significantly. Take for example, here in Ngerenyi we restocked 50,000 fingerlings at a cost of Kshs. 350,000, if we sell each piece at Kshs.100 upon maturity we will get Kshs. 5 million. You can see the profits are immense and we have not counted the fish that have been reproduced,â€™â€™ said Eng. Mruttu.

County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Ben Mghana said his department through the extension officers will sensitise farmers interested in pursuing fish farming on post-harvest handling of fish.

â€˜â€˜In a bid to ensure that we fully develop aquaculture, my department will provide post-harvest management lessons to fish farmers to ensure the fish supplied in markets are in good state. Also we will help farmers identify markets for the fish,â€™â€™ said Mghana.

Statistics indicate that the current fish production in the County stands at 27 tonnes per year against a potential of 720 tonnes annually.

Editorial

This content is credited to the Editorial Board of voi2day. A team that aims to tell stories and run conversations that matter, in the process ,inspiring readers to think differently, at least about this beautiful Town