NEW: ‘Fish farming ideal for dryer regions’

Online Reporter

FARMERS in dryer regions of the country should adopt fish farming and move away from solely depending on crops, especially as climate change takes a toll on the agriculture sector.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira said this while addressing farmers in Hwange, Matabeleland North province, last week.

“While we encourage production of small grains in dryer regions, due to climate change and the current El Niño phenomenon, efforts to be food secure have been threatened in these areas.

“I encourage you to take up Government’s drive on fish and aquaculture seriously. If you do intensive pond fish production, you can generate enough money that can buy you enough grain from high-potential areas in regions one and two,” said Deputy Minister Marapira.

Food security, he said, does not necessarily mean production of grains only, but having an uninterrupted source of income to buy food.

“We do not need everyone to produce grain. In Hwange, heat units favour fish production and this cannot be the same scenario for Nyanga or other areas that experience low temperatures.

“Fish farming is ideal for dryer regions. Let us utilise boreholes being drilled by the President to support fish farming.”

The calls come at a time crops are experiencing moisture stress following a dry spell that has lasted for over three weeks, with weather experts warning extreme temperatures in traditionally dryer areas.

Government is distributing free fish fingerlings countrywide, as it intensifies dam stocking, cage fishing and fishpond production.

Dams are receiving free unsexed fingerlings of tilapia (breams) for multiplication, with local communities getting training on sustainable fish harvesting.

Schools, villages, irrigation schemes and individuals are getting sexed fingerlings that are kept on nine-month cycles strictly for food.