KENYA – In a bid to add value to Kenya’s fishing industry, the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) has developed new products i.e. minced fish, fish samosa, fish sausages, fish fingers, fish gel, smoked fish and fish fillets.

The new innovations will be rolled out to farmers through the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) in Siaya, Busia, Kakamega, Lamu, and Marsabit Counties, to promote fish farming as an income-generating venture and boost production which has dropped.

KMFRI Sagana centre director Domitila Kyule also revealed that the institution has developed a modern fish smoking kiln.

The kiln, she said was user friendly and the smoked fish produced was of high quality and that the products can now be sold in the international markets, reports KBC.

With the new products and technology, the project targets to boost fish farming through aquaculture and fish cages to meet the country’s demand.

Kenya has a fish deficit of about 500, 000 metric tonnes which has led to the importation of fish from China to bridge the gap, in turn hurting local farmers engaged in aquaculture.

To further promote aquaculture KMFRI is collaborating with Maseno Univerity, Egerton University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the University of Eldoret to develop new technologies which are being rolled out to farmers.

One of such partnership is with JKUAT to produce insect-based feeds that are nutritious for fish and will result to improved yields.

In addition to that KMFRI has also supplied high-quality breeds and fingerlings to farmers in the five counties to boost production.

Through the project, Busia County has received Ksh 60 million (US$554K) to set up hatcheries that are up and running, with an additional Ksh 300 million (US$2.7m) received this financial year to set up fish cages and scale up on-farm production.

KCSAP was launched in 2018 after Kenya received a loan of Ksh 25 billion (US$18.5m) from the World Bank to increase agricultural productivity and build resilience to climate change risks in the targeted smallholder farming and pastoral communities in Kenya.

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