By MN Reporter
Women should be empowered to engage in male dominant fish farming as a strategy to boost fish production in Migori.
Migori output remains low at 18.2 metric tons per year instead of targeted 50 metric tons, Chief Administrative Secretary Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development Linah Chebii Kilimo has said.
Chebii who spoke to fish farmers and the stakeholders at Rio Fish Farm, Rongo Sub-County.
She said fish production will drastically improve in the county if women are given chance and resources needed.
While emphasizing the ease of fish farming, the CAS detailed that women can still play their roles at home as required along with practicing commercial fish farming which calls for few common daily practices.
She called on the new strategic private investor at Fish Rio Farm and Migori County Government to ensure not only youth groups are given needed resources for fish farming but also women encouraged to form groups with aim of engaging in fish production.
The CAS however revealed that the government is soon launching e-voucher, where small holder farmers are boosted to a tune of 70 percent of the total cost of production.
Chebii therefore challenged Migori fish farmers especially women to capitalise on the government e-voucher program when it rolled out to boost fish production which still remains low. She said the government aims at drastically boosting small farmers’ income as key to changing their lives.
Principal Secretary State Department for Fisheries and the Blue Economy Prof. Japhet Ntiba who accompanied Chebii reiterated on the need of Rio Fish Farm to work closely with the fish farmers with aim of boosting aquaculture in the county.
Ntiba also tasked Migori County Assembly Members to allocate resources meant to have many people farmers engage in commercialised fish farming from the current 1,259 farmers to target 5,000. He asked all the stakeholders including leaders should engage on how to boost fish production which is heavily consumed locally and ever demanding foreign market.
The PS said Migori County is among the first six pilot counties for aquaculture, a situation he called on the fish farmers to exploit as the county is already fit for fish production. He said fish farmers should ensure they produce enough fish to feed Rio Fish Farm mini processing machine which has a capacity processing 12 tons of fish a day.
County Government of Migori Chief Executive Member in Charge of Agriculture Valentine Ogongo also present said the county has given due attention to fish farmers and expect the number of fish farmers soon together with the fish production.
