Online Reporter
Judith Phiri, Zimpapers Business Hub
THE Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has commended its collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) for the successful implementation of a project that is driving Zimbabwe towards a US$1 billion fish economy.
For decades, fish farming in Zimbabwe was characterised by uncertainty, with smallholder farmers relying on “wild” fingerlings harvested from rivers or unverified dams, offering no guarantee of growth or profitability.
That era of “fishing by chance” is now giving way to a future of “farming by design”.
Speaking at the End-of-Project Workshop for the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) currently underway in Masvingo, the Ministry’s Director for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources Production Department (FARD) under the ARDAS Directorate, Mr Milton Tinashe Makumbe, hailed the transformative impact of the two-year partnership between Government and FAO.
“The project was born out of the stark reality revealed by a 2021 Tilapia Value Chain analysis, which showed that an overwhelming 80 percent of fingerlings used in Zimbabwe originated from unreliable water bodies,” said Mr Makumbe.
“This shortage of quality seed stood as the single greatest barrier to the aquaculture sector’s growth, posing significant risks to both biosecurity and productivity. We set out with a clear mandate to decentralise supply and ensure farmers have reliable access to superior genetics.”
Mr Makumbe said results presented in Masvingo demonstrated a significant leap in national production capacity, with the project focusing on three strategic fisheries hubs — Henderson in Mashonaland Central, Matopos in Matabeleland South, and the Makoholi Fisheries Unit in Masvingo.
Key milestones include major capacity expansion at Matopos and Makoholi, where five new fishponds were established at each site, creating a projected annual capacity of 3 564 000 high-quality fingerlings per facility.
“The early wins are that the Matopos Fisheries Unit has already commenced production, with more than 8 000 fingerlings produced to date,” he said.
“To address water and energy challenges, boreholes at these facilities have been solarised, ensuring a stable breeding environment regardless of power fluctuations.”
Mr Makumbe said the project targets the production of approximately 10 million high-quality fingerlings annually, with impacted sites including Henderson (Mazowe), Makoholi (Masvingo) and Matopos (Bulawayo) fisheries units.
He added that the initiative is anchored on achieving the US$1 billion fish economy by 2030, with fully solarised breeding facilities playing a critical role in climate resilience.
The revitalisation of the Makoholi Fisheries breeding site was cited as a major milestone of the “Blue Transformation”. Once underutilised, the site has been revived through strategic foundational investments and now serves as a primary supplier for the Presidential Community Fisheries Scheme, significantly reducing transportation costs and risks for rural entrepreneurs.
“Makoholi is no longer just a theoretical hub; it is now a factory of opportunity. We are turning Masvingo’s water into a sustainable livelihood for thousands of youths and women,” said Mr Makumbe.
Beyond infrastructure development, the programme also prioritised human capacity building, including a high-impact “Look and Learn” tour to Zambia’s National Aquaculture Research Development Centre (NARDC) in May 2024.
The regional exchange has strengthened Zimbabwe’s breeding strategies by incorporating international best practices in genetics and fish nutrition.
