Staff Reporter
THE Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Silvia Makgone, has announced that the ministry currently supports around 190 small-scale fish farmers as part of a government-driven initiative to support communities. Makgone made these remarks while updating the nation on the country’s aquaculture sector, which focuses on the cultivation of aquatic animals, such as fish or shellfish, and plants, such as seaweed, in a controlled and sometimes enclosed body of water.
Makgone said that Namibia’s aquaculture industry comprises two sub-sectors: freshwater aquaculture and marine aquaculture, popularly known as mariculture. The mariculture sub-sector, which is private-oriented for commercial trade, produces high-value species such as oysters, abalone, mussels, and seaweed. Currently, there are eleven active mariculture farmers employing about 205 employees.
“On the other hand, freshwater aquaculture is a government-driven sector producing African catfish and tilapia, mostly for food security at the household level in rural areas. To date, the ministry supports around 190 small-scale fish farmers. Aspiring fish farmers can visit any of our regional offices, where our staff will inspect the site for fish ponds, test the water quality, and provide fingerlings of fish species at a small cost of 20 cents per tilapia and 30 cents per catfish,” Makgone said.
To effectively promote the freshwater aquaculture sector, the government, through the ministry, has established eight operational fish farms and aquaculture centres countrywide. These include: Hardap Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Centre in the Hardap Region; Leonardville Fish Farm in Omaheke Region; Fonteintjie Fish Farm in Karas Region; Onavivi Inland Aquaculture Center in Omusati Region; Ongwediva Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Centre in the Oshana Region; Mpungu Demonstration Fish Farm in Kavango West Region; Kamutjonga Inland Fisheries Institute in Kavango East Region; Zambezi Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Centre in the Zambezi Region.
These centres offer extension services, including site inspection and assessment, fingerling production and distribution, water quality monitoring and sampling, fish health monitoring and disease control, and quality assurance for aquaculture products. Additionally, the ministry facilitates aquaculture development by issuing licenses and import/export permits for live aquatic organisms and aquaculture products in both local and international markets. To date, the ministry has issued more than 148 aquaculture licenses.
Makgone added that small-scale fish farmers intending to produce less than 10 tons per annum of local fish species are exempt from needing an aquaculture license.
“To apply for an aquaculture license, one must submit a completed application form, which can be downloaded from the ministry’s website or obtained at any MFMR office countrywide. I urge Namibians to take advantage of the services provided by the government and to use formal procedures to hold us accountable. Our mandate is to promote aquaculture, and we will go above and beyond to ensure that fish farmers and aspiring fish farmers get the necessary support to improve Namibia’s aquaculture sector,” Makgone concluded.
