Remarks by the minister
Given the value of fish in terms of exports (USD $ 177 million annually) and local economy, Government has prioritized fish as a commodity in the Agriculture Sector Strategic Plan (ASSP), which is a flagship for investment and development in the agricultural sector in line with the third National Development Plan to be implemented from Financial Year 2020/21 to Financial Year 2024/25.
Through the ASSP, the Ministry has prioritised the following: 1) Promoting sustainable management and utilization of large commercial fish stocks; 2) Promoting the fishery of small-scale pelagic fishes; 3) Development and promotion of other fish products and by-products; and 4) Promoting commercial aquaculture. A target of 1,700,000 tonnes of fish has been set with 1,000,000 tonnes and 700,000 tonnes of fish from aquaculture and capture fisheries respectively.
she wishes to inform you that soon we shall have a Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill which has been tabled before Parliament. We have already made strides in controlling the fishing effort and managing the illegalities on our lakes, in addition to demonstrating the profitability of cage farming through our partners and the private sector. I am therefore happy that NARO, the Ministry through the Directorate of Fisheries Resources are working closely with private sector and other stakeholders to generate the appropriate technologies and necessary policies for enforcing the law. We now need to see how to get Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) more involved in fisheries than they have been in the past to reach out to various fisheries value chain actors and contribute to increased fish production.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY
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