eBusiness Weekly
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe’s total fish production during the 2022/23 summer season was 15 041 tonnes, lower than 25,051 tonnes in 2021 with 9 836 tonnes from capture fisheries and 5 049 tones from aquaculture, the Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment Report (CLAFA – 2) has shown.
According to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development report, there was an increase of fish from capture by 3 percent from 9 552 tonnes in 2021 to 9 836 tonnes in 2022.
During the same period, Kapenta harvest increased by 10 percent from 5 333 tonnes in 2021 to 5 950 tonnes in 2022 and there was a decrease in breams caught from the wild by 9 percent from 2 220 tonnes to 2 031 tonnes.
According to the report, production in the fish farming sub-sector is dominated by Nile Tilapia followed by African Catfish and Rainbow Trout.
“There has been a decrease in production, Nile Tilapia (-17 percent) and Rainbow Trout (-22 percent) due to viability problems,” read part of the report.
The report notes that Tilapia production peaked in 2016 at 11 401 tonnes and has been on a decline as one large-scale producer, which accounts for over 90 percent of all farmed Tilapia in the country, has seen annual decline due to high feed costs induced viability problems.
“There is need to support medium cage aquaculture in medium-sized dams within the country,” the Ministry said.
According to the report, the Presidential community fisheries scheme is expected to boost fisheries as each village will have fishponds established under the Presidential Rural Development Programme.
Most of the harvested fish is sold fresh or frozen. However, the Government believes further value addition of fish to fillets and canning would increase the value of their fish.
In terms of crocodile farming, the total farmed crocodiles reduced to 91 264 in 2022 from 113 063 in 2021 and the number of producers is declining because of viability challenges such as high production costs and marketing challenges.
The total number of farm eggs collected in 2022 increased by 18,4 percent from 2021 with the overall incubation success being similar at 72,3 percent to the previous year.
Crocodile skin exports declined from 83 000 in 2019 to 67 000 in 2020 and this was due to the Covid19 restrictions which affected the exports of skins.
However, there has been an increase of skins in 2021 to 80 000.
