KENYA – Kenyan government in Kirinyaga County, has established an exclusive fish market centre in a bid to enhance the marketing system for farmers’ fish in the county.

The fish market that has been set up at Kiaga will be the county’s aggregation centre for fish, thus providing farmers with a reliable facility for fish bulking, preliminary processing, and a one-stop fish shop.

According to the county’s governor, Anne Waiguru, the centre is part of the Wezesha Kirinyaga programme that aims at supporting farmers to increase their agricultural production and boost earnings.

In addition to the administration supporting aquaculture development in the county through the provision of fish pond liners, fish fingerlings, fish feeds, and extension services, Governor Waiguru said that the aggregation centre would now address the challenges of post-harvest management and marketing of fish.

“The aggregation centre will enable farmers to aggregate and sell their fish from a central place that is accessible to buyers,” the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Dr John Gachara added.

He noted that the market will benefit over 2,000 farmers, whom the county has organized to form a cooperative that will oversee the running of the centre.

“The aquaculture development programme is aimed at transforming fish farming from a livelihood to a commercial venture and is expected to help create a sustainable local economy,” said Gachara, adding that fish production is expected to increase with the construction of dams in the region.

Namibia addresses tax contribution concerns in fishing industry

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations (CNFA) has responded to recent concerns raised by the Namibian Revenue Agency (Namra) regarding the fishing industry’s tax contribution to the country’s revenue.

According to Namra commissioner Sam Shivute, the country’s fishing industry contributes less than 2% in taxes and the sector hence requires special attention in order to improve productivity.

The Namibian fishing sector makes various statutory payments, including quota levies, Marine Resources Fund levies, Fisheries Observer Agency levies, Namibia Training Authority levies, export levies, Namibia Standards Institute levies, and marine by-catch levies.

According to the Namibian Statistics Agency 2022 national earnings report, the industry accounted for over 14% of export earnings valued at N$10 billion, contributing to 4.5% of gross domestic product (GDP).

During his budget speech for the financial year 2023/24, the minister of fisheries and marine resources, Derek Klazen, said the fishing industry remains one of the significant contributors to economic growth, employment creation, and nutrition.

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