Theseus Mauruki Shambare-Agriculture Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’S aquaculture sector is generating estimated annual economic benefits of US$3.6 million following a US$2 million investment under the Fisheries for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
FISH4ACP is a five-year programme that was launched in Zimbabwe in April 2021 to develop sustainable and inclusive fish farming value chains.
Funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the programme is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).
The economic benefits, attributed to increased fish production, improved farming practices and savings from locally developed feed innovations, represent an estimated return of almost US$3 for every dollar invested in the programme.
Speaking during the official opening of the two-day FISH4ACP Zimbabwe Legacy Event in Harare yesterday, FAO sub-regional coordinator for Southern Africa and Country Representative in Zimbabwe, Dr Patrice Talla Takoukam, said the programme had directly reached 4 206 aquaculture farmers in Manicaland, Masvingo and Mashonaland provinces.
He said approximately 80 percent of the beneficiaries had adopted improved aquaculture technologies and business practices, contributing an estimated additional 1 909 tonnes of fish production annually.
This translates to approximately US$3.53 million in additional annual fish sales, with the inclusion of feed cost savings bringing the quantifiable economic benefits to about US$3.6 million.
“The programme’s economic assessment estimates a benefit-cost ratio of 2.92 to 1, but simply every dollar invested is estimated to generate almost three dollars in economic value,” said Dr Talla.
He said one of the programme’s significant innovations was the development and testing of black soldier fly-based fish feed, which demonstrated the potential to reduce feed costs by approximately 40 percent while maintaining comparable fish growth performance.
Representing Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri, Livestock and Fisheries Production Department deputy director Mr Admire Mbundure said the project had helped Government identify production gaps and strengthen support for fish farmers.
He said the initial value chain analysis conducted by Chinhoyi University of Technology revealed challenges including limited access to quality fingerlings and high production costs driven by expensive feed.
“Notable achievements under this project, FISH4ACP, the clustering of farmers with the help of Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association allowed us to provide services to organised groups,” he said.
Mr Mbundure said Government breeding facilities at Henderson Research Station in Mazowe, Matobo in Matabeleland South and Makoholi in Masvingo had also benefited from rehabilitation interventions, with fingerling production beginning to emerge from the facilities.
European Union head of cooperation, Ms Anna Cichocka said Zimbabwe had considerable potential to expand aquaculture, particularly as growing demand for fish was still being met substantially through imports.
“With approximately US$2 million invested in Zimbabwe, the programme has reached more than 4 200 fish farmers, strengthened their technical and business skills, helped them organise into clusters, and supported practical innovations across the value chain,” she said.
She also challenged stakeholders to ensure investments and businesses established under the programme remained commercially viable beyond donor support.
“The real success of a development programme is not only what it achieves while funding is available, but what continues to work long after the programme has ended,” she said.
National Professional Officer and FISH4ACP project coordinator Mr Paul Mwera said the programme had also strengthened institutional collaboration through the establishment of the Zimbabwe Aquaculture Value Chain Council, bringing together farmers, Government, researchers and businesses.
“The legacy of FISH4ACP is actually not in the funds that we have, it’s also not in the projects or infrastructure alone that we put up. Its true legacy lives in the people empowered, those people that we’ve empowered,” he said.
The next phase is expected to focus on expanding hatcheries, affordable feed production, access to finance, processing facilities and cold-chain infrastructure to translate increased production into stronger businesses and better farmer incomes.
