Government officials in Kenya have stated that fish consumption in the country is not big enough to support aquaculture.
The government has recently been trying to push fish farming in the country, investing Sh5.7 billion into its development over the last three years. An average consumption of only 3.7 Kg per person is therefore problematic for the governments' plans, reports BusinessDaily.
“We want to raise per capita fish consumption to at least 10 kilogrammes per person to ensure farmers have a market for their fish,” Micheni Ntiba, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries Development told an agricultural sector development forum in Nairobi.
The promotion of fish is important for the country as 35 per cent of children are malnourished.
The governments aquaculture campaign has led to around 150,000 people taking up fish farming since 2009.
Despite this now being the fastest growing sector, farmers are facing market challenges as there is not enough demand on the local market, and due to quality regulations, the fish cannot be sold in the EU market.
The ministry is now relying on new fish markets that are slowly opening up in African countries such as South Sudan, DRC, Rwanda and Zambia to boost aquaculture.
