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Kudzai Chikiwa, Chronicle Reporter
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) has harvested 10 000 fish through its fish breeding project at Bubi-Lupane dam.
In November last year, the ZPCS started a fish breeding project which is part of the command fisheries programme with 10 000 tilapia breams which it has harvested after six months.
ZPCS Officer Commanding Matabeleland North Senior Assistant Commissioner Modi Nkomo said the harvested fish are meant to feed inmates but the surplus will be sold to locals.
“These fish will go a long way in feeding inmates at seven of our prisons including Victoria Falls, Binga, Lupane, Tsholotsho, Nkayi and Anju. Inmates now have a balanced diet and we are happy about that,” she said.
Snr Ass Comm Nkomo said in the near future they want to launch another aquaculture cage which will have 20 000 fish so that they can supply inmates in the Bulawayo metropolitan province.
She said the project is meant to supplement Government’s efforts in securing food for prisons saying public institutions should be innovative and come up with income- generating projects that supplement their budgetary allocations to reduce the burden on taxpayers.
“With the economic conditions at hand, our Government sometimes struggles to secure food for inmates but we cannot solely depend on Treasury. Government institutions should come up with projects that can sustain them,” she said.
Snr Ass Comm Nkomo said ZPCS took advantage of the available natural resources to come up with a supplementary project.
“In Matabeleland North we have a lot of water bodies and we are intensifying fishery so that the bodies don’t remain idle. This is what Government institutions should do,” she said.
Snr Ass Comm Nkomo said one fish weighs an average of 500 grams while the largest fish is 1,5kg.
A kilogram of fish is sold for RTGS$9.
Snr Ass Comm Nkomo said customers including the Rainbow Hotel have already placed orders leaving ZPCS optimistic of making profits.
—@tmary98
Online Reporter