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: 04 June 2019; Hits: 5323

Kenyan fish pond farmers poised for good market opportunities as wild catch dwindles

pond fish farmers Farmers setting their nets for a catch. Photo: Farm Africa.

Fish production in Kenya has for long been heavily reliant on wild fish in Lake Victoria which accounts for 76 per cent of fish production in the country but stocks, particularly of tilapia are dwindling setting stage for a potential market for fish pond farmers to bridge the biting shortage.

According to a 2016-2019 report by Farm Africa under Kenya Market-led Aquaculture Programme (KMAP), demand for fish in Kenya is increasing rapidly due to population growth, rising incomes and increased awareness about the nutritional benefits of fish.

However, there is a need for boosting fish production in ponds to help protect Lake Victoria’s strained resources, offer the population a sustainable source of fish and provide fish farmers with reliable incomes.

Experts assert that Kenya has a far greater capacity for fish farming, with over 1.14 million hectares potentially available to enable a production capacity of over 11 million tonnes per year.

In addition, to promote fish farming, the government of Kenya between 2009 and 2012 built an estimated 48,000 fishponds across the country.

RELATED CONTENT: Why fish production is declining in Kenya

According to KMAP report, access to high-quality, affordable inputs like fish feeds and fingerlings can boost fish yields by up to 100 per cent, and is key to enabling fish farmers to grow their businesses.

Last year, Kenya’s Victory Farms, a fish production firm based in Kisumu, announced plans to construct a 10,000 metric tonnes tilapia hatchery to increase the fish production and boost food security.

This is after some farmers were reportedly still using fish stocks which are genetically similar or inferior to wild or undomesticated stocks due to unavailability of quality seed.

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: 03 June 2019; Hits: 4863

Ready sorghum market increasing demand for seeds by farmers

KARI mtama1 sorghum variety

Increased demand for sorghum grains by different markets in Kenya that has seen many farmers venture into the crop production has caused a high demand for seeds by the growers from 81 per cent in 2013 to 95 per cent in 2017.

The increased demand for the planting materials has since 2015 seen seed firms introduce different varieties to spur production. Some of the varieties in the market so far include KARI Mtama 1, Gadam, Seredo, and Serena among others.

According to a market report by Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK), market share for the top four sorghum seed companies in the country has steadily increased with more varieties being released between 2015 and 2017 than never before.

This has been attributed to the increasing status of sorghum as an important industrial crop in the brewing industry

East African Malting, for instance, has been looking for farmers in the country to grow the crop under contract basis for the benefit of the ready market for the farmers currently the brewer is working with 20,000 farmers but still targeting 45,000 producers over the next five years.

The company pays Sh30 per kilo of sorghum delivered by farmers.

It is such markets that have seen the production of sorghum rise from 1.9 million bags in 2014 to 2.1 million bags last year, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Economic Survey 2019.

East African Breweries Ltd requirements of an estimated 60,000 metric tonnes annually with this expected to rise with a projected increase in beer consumption presents a tremendous market opportunity to farmers.

Photo: KARI Mtama 1 sorghum variety by KALRO.

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: 31 May 2019; Hits: 4915

Ready banana market relieves frustrated coffee farmer

bunch of bananas A harvested green banana bunch. Moseti started with 50 stems, but the number has multiplied as more suckers spout and mature. Photo, Zablon Oyugi.

A frustrated Nyamira County coffee farmer, who moved into banana cultivation, has found the new venture more rewarding due to the quick and constant market.

Coffee farmers in the country suffer millions of shillings losses not only to black market dealers, but also to factory break-ins in search of the beans every month.

But Ezekiel Moseti, who delved into the banana farming is making more than Sh12,000 from the young farm, which he established in April 2015.

He started with 50 stems, but the number has multiplied as more suckers spout and mature.

“The population has been growing steadily. From selling one to five bananas per month early this year (2016), have reached an average of 20 over the same period. The least bunch fetches Sh400 while the ‘giant’ ones earn up to Sh800,” the Magwagwa farmer said.

The losses trickle down to farmers.

Although he has not uprooted the few coffee stems, Moseti is concentrates more on bananas, tomatoes and other vegetables for “quick and sure money”.

From the 30 coffee bushes, he harvests about 70kg in two months before selling the wet beans to brokers at Sh20 per kilo to raise money for supporting the vegetable sector.

“Bananas have a rich market in Nakuru, Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa and other major towns in the country. Trucks camp at Magwagwa while others go round the villages collecting the bananas. It is ready and reliable money, unlike the coffee, which may pay or not even after delivery of the beans to the factory,” he said.

Moseti started with 10 tissue cultured banana while the rest are indigenous. One of the varieties is local- and it is called ‘Ekegusii’, which gives small but numerous fingers. The other one is locally called ‘Ng’ombe’, which yields fewer fingers than the ‘Ekegusii’ but they are longer and highly marketable for plantain.

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