Minister wants fish to become Uganda's leading export earner

The minister for fisheries, Hellen Adoa, says the Government considers fisheries a critical venture in the country's economic development and will do everything in its utmost to defend it from illegal fishing, despite a public outcry against UPDF deployment on the lakes.
 
The minister said deployments of soldiers on the lakes have not only guaranteed availability of fish for many Ugandan households but also helped increase the volume of its exports to the rest of the world.

In the period between January and July 2020, according to the Bank of Uganda, Uganda exported 11,402 metric tonnes of fish worth $72.97m (sh268b).

This was, however, a decline of 46% from the 17,541 metric tonnes worth $106.53m (sh392b) that Uganda had exported in the same period last year, a factor blamed on disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Fish harvests reached their peak in 2005 when 39 million metric tonnes were harvested -- up from 1.6 tonnes of fish in 1990, and 11 million metric tonnes in 1997.

But the increased export of fish also came with several negatives, which included over fishing, hence dwindling fish stocks.

According to the agriculture ministry, by 2008, harvests had dropped to 24 million metric tonnes.

They were estimated to have dropped to around 18 million metric tonnes by 2010.

A renewed enforcement of good fishing practices on the lakes, headed by the UPDF soldiers has seen volumes start to go up gradually.

However,  Adoa said the total production is far lower than expected. 

"If Uganda exported just a third of the projected annual potential at a price of $4.1 per kilo, it would add $2.1 billion per annum to the National Gross Domestic Product.

This would be higher than all non-oil Ugandan exports combined and would lead us to our vision of a "Modern, Profitable and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture subsector," she said.