Govt to spend sh500m in restocking fish, says Nyeko

Mar 12, 2002

The Commissioner for fisheries, Mr. Dick Nyeko, has said the Government will spend sh500m on buying fingering (young fish) from farmers for stocking the ponds, dams and lakes, reports Josephine Maseruka.

The Commissioner for fisheries, Mr. Dick Nyeko, has said the Government will spend sh500m on buying fingering (young fish) from farmers for stocking the ponds, dams and lakes, reports Josephine Maseruka.He dispelled fears that with liberalisation of the fish industry, Uganda might experience fish shortages.Nyeko was reacting to wanaichi’s concern over eating fish frames commonly called ‘skeletons or philly’ which a majority of rural people feed on.Fish mongers told The New Vision that fish exporters had hiked the prices of fish making it difficult for them to compete.They also said they had resorted to selling fish frames to make ends meet arguing that if they bought a kilo of fish at sh2,000 and sold it between sh2,500 and 3,000, they could not get profits.They said very few Ugandans could buy a kilo of fish at a higher price than a kilo of meat.However, Nyeko said, “Fish frames are not bad. They are very nutritious and that is why they are prepared even in big hotels like Sheraton.”He said there are about nine fish exporters.Nyeko said 30,000 tons of fish were exported last year and brought US$78m for Government coffers.

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