Fish farming is my gold mineâ€"Mugisha
Mar 18, 2009
Paul Mugisha has become the leading fish farmer in Kamwenge district. He decided to start farming after completing his degree in social works and social sciences at Kyambogo University in 1999.
Everyday until the end of this month, The New Vision will run a series of stories on wealth creation role models from all over the country for Ugandans who would like to learn from them to generate wealth from our natural resources
By Hope Mafaranga
Paul Mugisha has become the leading fish farmer in Kamwenge district. He decided to start farming after completing his degree in social works and social sciences at Kyambogo University in 1999.
Mugisha says his late parents were peasant farmers and managed to educate him and his six siblings through earnings from farming.
He wants to be a farmer for the rest of his life just like his parents, but in a modern way. “My parents were peasant farmers, all of us went to good schools because of farming. I can now talk about farming in English which my parents could not,†Mugisha boasted.
Along Fort Portal - Kamwenge Road, before Kahunge trading centre a big sign post written on Fish Hatching Center (Catfish and Tillapia) directs you to Rubumba Seed. Feed Production and Training Centre. The center wasnamed after Mugisha’s late father Zadock Rubumba.
Located in Byabasita village, Kahunge sub-county in Kamwenge district, the farm will produce quality seeds, skills and feeds to the farmers. Mugisha says he intends to reduce poverty, especially in rural farmers. “Many farmers do not consider agriculture a commercial enterprise. I have put in place measures to encourage people to take up intensive fish farming,†he says.
He adds that he gets good income from selling fish fries to upcoming fish farmers. Mugisha’s main enterprise is fish. He owns six fish ponds on one acre of land.
When he started growing fish in 2005, he had only sh5m which he used to construct his six ponds. A year later, he wrote to Samaritan’s Purse, a local charity for help. The NGO gave him sh16m. “I used the money to build a hatchery, buy fertilisers and solar boilers for boiling water for the fish,†Mugisha said while showing The New Vision the inside of his hatchery house where fish production takes place.
Mugisha says there is ready market for the fish fries. He says each fish fry of Catfish goes for sh400 while Tilapia goes for sh300. From his investment Mugisha earns sh180m annually from selling fish fries. He adds that he harvests 20,000 fish fries of Tilapia in a month which earns him sh3m while the 16,000 catfish from each pond fetches him sh4.8m monthly.
Other than selling fish, Mugisha also trains fish farmers on good methods of farming. “I want to make it a triple purpose demonstration farm, a source of seeds, skills and feeds,†he adds.
Mugisha is a farmer who does not withhold information. He encourages people to seek knowledge and succeed. Through training, he helps other farmers see the bottom of the pond since most people interested in fish farming have never seen fish in ponds. They know about fish in the lakes only.
In 2007, Mugisha tried to persuade his neighbours into growing fish so that they could earn bigger, but only a few have tried. “Most people have lived in poverty because they do not know where to begin from. People just fear to start,†he says.
Mugisha, the last born of seven children, started with only four indigenous cows given to him by his father in 2004. He now keeps over 10 exotic cows. In 2006, he bought a bull at sh400,000 and started crossing with his local cows.
He says he uses the boran breed to improve the quality of his cows. Mugisha urges dairy farmers not to insist on pure breeds, saying mixed breeds are more profitable. “The mixed breed is not only profitable but also has the ability to resist diseases,†Mugisha says.
A few of his cows produce milk, but he says he started zero grazing recently and in a few months, most cows will have matured, so he will make more money from milk. He projects earning up to sh400,000 from milk everyday.
He says manure from his cows fetch him a cool sh120,000 weekly which he sells to farmers as fertiliser. Mugisha also has four acres of banana plantation which fetches him sh300,000 monthly. He has one acre of coffee and has also planted an acre of oranges to increase his income.
He does his farming on 52 acres of land which he inherited from his parents but has added 12 acres to it, which he bought with money from his fish. His wife Annette Mugisha is in charge of over 200 indigenous birds which fetch sh600,000 per month from the eggs.
Mugisha has also created employment for the young people in his village. He employs four young men and pays them sh40,000 monthly. He says with the money which he gets from farming, he is able to look after his family and pay school fees for his children and other dependents.
If you know of anyone who has made money through an enterprising venture, nominate them for recognition.
Write to features@newvision.co.ug, or send a fax to 0414232050
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How to start fish farming
By Vision Reporter
The market for fish is readily available countrywide, the cost of fish has increased in the last five years.
A kilogram of Tilapia costs sh6000 while Catfish goes for sh7,000 or sh10,000. The main challenges in fish farming are feeding, maintenance skills and cost of construction of the fish ponds.
What you must know
lFish farmers should always clean the ponds and the soroundings.
lkeep the place in an open environment to prevent predators like oaks, snakes and frogs by fencing your ponds with iron
sheets ad polythene bags.
lWhen constructing the pond, make sure that water from pond A does not cross to pond B in order to prevent diseases affecting fish in case of any.
lYou must get technical knowledge in proper pond construction and management.
lOne also needs to get information on the area where the farm will be set up.
lThe ponds range from 200 - 1,000 square metres with fish capacity of 10,000 fish fries, especially in areas where there is a water flow and swamps.
With this big enterprise, farmers can improve on their income in a period of just nine months.
lFarmers must have knowledge about feeds like; maize, sorghum, rice, soya bean brands and ready market.
lA farmer needs sh1.8 m to construct a recommended pond of 1,000 square metres, sh1m to stock fish and a monthly sh200,000 for feeding the fish for a period of nine months.
lTo avoid risks of losing fish due to drought as ponds dry, one must seek advice from water sources and environmental expatriates.
lTrees must be planted to control soil erosion and boost rainfalls.
The Kamwenge fisheries officer, Steven Bakasigaki, says most farmers are demoralised because fish farming is still a new phenomenon in Uganda.
Bakasigaki adds that some model farmers have been trained on fish farming methods to act as examples to others.
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By Hope Mafaranga
Paul Mugisha has become the leading fish farmer in Kamwenge district. He decided to start farming after completing his degree in social works and social sciences at Kyambogo University in 1999.
Mugisha says his late parents were peasant farmers and managed to educate him and his six siblings through earnings from farming.
He wants to be a farmer for the rest of his life just like his parents, but in a modern way. “My parents were peasant farmers, all of us went to good schools because of farming. I can now talk about farming in English which my parents could not,†Mugisha boasted.
Along Fort Portal - Kamwenge Road, before Kahunge trading centre a big sign post written on Fish Hatching Center (Catfish and Tillapia) directs you to Rubumba Seed. Feed Production and Training Centre. The center wasnamed after Mugisha’s late father Zadock Rubumba.
Located in Byabasita village, Kahunge sub-county in Kamwenge district, the farm will produce quality seeds, skills and feeds to the farmers. Mugisha says he intends to reduce poverty, especially in rural farmers. “Many farmers do not consider agriculture a commercial enterprise. I have put in place measures to encourage people to take up intensive fish farming,†he says.
He adds that he gets good income from selling fish fries to upcoming fish farmers. Mugisha’s main enterprise is fish. He owns six fish ponds on one acre of land.
When he started growing fish in 2005, he had only sh5m which he used to construct his six ponds. A year later, he wrote to Samaritan’s Purse, a local charity for help. The NGO gave him sh16m. “I used the money to build a hatchery, buy fertilisers and solar boilers for boiling water for the fish,†Mugisha said while showing The New Vision the inside of his hatchery house where fish production takes place.
Mugisha says there is ready market for the fish fries. He says each fish fry of Catfish goes for sh400 while Tilapia goes for sh300. From his investment Mugisha earns sh180m annually from selling fish fries. He adds that he harvests 20,000 fish fries of Tilapia in a month which earns him sh3m while the 16,000 catfish from each pond fetches him sh4.8m monthly.
Other than selling fish, Mugisha also trains fish farmers on good methods of farming. “I want to make it a triple purpose demonstration farm, a source of seeds, skills and feeds,†he adds.
Mugisha is a farmer who does not withhold information. He encourages people to seek knowledge and succeed. Through training, he helps other farmers see the bottom of the pond since most people interested in fish farming have never seen fish in ponds. They know about fish in the lakes only.
In 2007, Mugisha tried to persuade his neighbours into growing fish so that they could earn bigger, but only a few have tried. “Most people have lived in poverty because they do not know where to begin from. People just fear to start,†he says.
Mugisha, the last born of seven children, started with only four indigenous cows given to him by his father in 2004. He now keeps over 10 exotic cows. In 2006, he bought a bull at sh400,000 and started crossing with his local cows.
He says he uses the boran breed to improve the quality of his cows. Mugisha urges dairy farmers not to insist on pure breeds, saying mixed breeds are more profitable. “The mixed breed is not only profitable but also has the ability to resist diseases,†Mugisha says.
A few of his cows produce milk, but he says he started zero grazing recently and in a few months, most cows will have matured, so he will make more money from milk. He projects earning up to sh400,000 from milk everyday.
He says manure from his cows fetch him a cool sh120,000 weekly which he sells to farmers as fertiliser. Mugisha also has four acres of banana plantation which fetches him sh300,000 monthly. He has one acre of coffee and has also planted an acre of oranges to increase his income.
He does his farming on 52 acres of land which he inherited from his parents but has added 12 acres to it, which he bought with money from his fish. His wife Annette Mugisha is in charge of over 200 indigenous birds which fetch sh600,000 per month from the eggs.
Mugisha has also created employment for the young people in his village. He employs four young men and pays them sh40,000 monthly. He says with the money which he gets from farming, he is able to look after his family and pay school fees for his children and other dependents.
If you know of anyone who has made money through an enterprising venture, nominate them for recognition.
Write to features@newvision.co.ug, or send a fax to 0414232050
---------------------------------------------
How to start fish farming
By Vision Reporter
The market for fish is readily available countrywide, the cost of fish has increased in the last five years.
A kilogram of Tilapia costs sh6000 while Catfish goes for sh7,000 or sh10,000. The main challenges in fish farming are feeding, maintenance skills and cost of construction of the fish ponds.
What you must know
lFish farmers should always clean the ponds and the soroundings.
lkeep the place in an open environment to prevent predators like oaks, snakes and frogs by fencing your ponds with iron
sheets ad polythene bags.
lWhen constructing the pond, make sure that water from pond A does not cross to pond B in order to prevent diseases affecting fish in case of any.
lYou must get technical knowledge in proper pond construction and management.
lOne also needs to get information on the area where the farm will be set up.
lThe ponds range from 200 - 1,000 square metres with fish capacity of 10,000 fish fries, especially in areas where there is a water flow and swamps.
With this big enterprise, farmers can improve on their income in a period of just nine months.
lFarmers must have knowledge about feeds like; maize, sorghum, rice, soya bean brands and ready market.
lA farmer needs sh1.8 m to construct a recommended pond of 1,000 square metres, sh1m to stock fish and a monthly sh200,000 for feeding the fish for a period of nine months.
lTo avoid risks of losing fish due to drought as ponds dry, one must seek advice from water sources and environmental expatriates.
lTrees must be planted to control soil erosion and boost rainfalls.
The Kamwenge fisheries officer, Steven Bakasigaki, says most farmers are demoralised because fish farming is still a new phenomenon in Uganda.
Bakasigaki adds that some model farmers have been trained on fish farming methods to act as examples to others.
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