Aquaculture could boost forex earnings and food security

A lack of funding is preventing Namibia's fledgling aquaculture industry from taking off on a large scale, according to experts at a three-day conference. Aquaculture, or fish farming, could boost Namibia's food security and has the potential to increase foreign exchange earnings from exports, analysts said. Delegates from Norway, Spain and South Africa delivered presentations of their successes in aquaculture, mainly with salmon, catfish, tilapia and oysters. The conference focused on the lack of training and skills in Africa, especially international marketing skills tailored to this fledgling industry. Namibian entrepreneurs who would like to get started stressed that their lack of collateral precluded them from successfully applying for bank loans. "Banks do not regard fish, lobsters and oysters as assets," complained Namibian entrepreneur Stefanus Dax. "One bank required 100 percent collateral from me - if I had that I would not need a bank loan." The Namibian ministry of fisheries and marine resources promulgated legislation on marine aquaculture and inland fisheries in 2003. Hoping that Namibia will be able to grab a share of the lucrative European and Asian export markets, the ministry is offering 15-year licences as an incentive for investment in the sector in a bid to boost the industry. Three oyster farms along the coast, producing six million oysters (600 mt), worth Nam $12 million per annum, have been in existence for almost two decades. "Namibia's advantage is that oysters here grow to harvest size in a record nine months, while overseas they need almost three years," said Norwegian fisheries minister Svein Ludvigsen. Norway co-hosted the conference and assisted Namibia to set up a strategic five-year plan for aquaculture. Experts agree that Namibia's unspoilt 1,500 km coastline, along which the cold, nutrient-rich Benguela current flows, holds great potential. "We will commission a feasibility study to see what financial investments are needed," said Namibia's fisheries minister Dr Abraham Iyambo. "We are mulling the possibility [of] setting up a fund, with government money and that of the Development Bank of Namibia, to help kick-start new entrepreneurs, especially for those of the formerly disadvantaged background," he added. "Funds are necessary to expand the existing enterprises, to catch those lucrative Asian markets," Rainer Ritter, an independent economist who chairs the Aquaculture Advisory Council, told IRIN. "The small [aquaculture] industry is fragmented - they need to pool together and share international transport routes to cut costs. Branding of products is important, and Namibia needs experts who understand international markets," he commented. Spanish expert Enrique Vega, who is training rural communities in northern Namibia to set up fish farms for the indigenous three-spot tilapia fish, told IRIN that "inland fish farming is more for food stability and self-sufficiency at this stage". "There is, however, quite a potential to export this popular African fish species to other African countries at a larger scale," he said. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the global shift to fish farming is increasing and will make up the larger share of fish production in the future.