Mumias West residents have been urged to practice fish farming as a commercial project that will help in the creation of job opportunities amongst themselves. Speaking to West FM, the chairman in charge of Kisamaruwa organization, Kornel Kanyango was surprised to learn that farmers from that region don’t get the required profit within the required time as a result of the type of farming practiced in the region.
“We put 1,200 fingerlings in this pond and now as a trial,we have harvested 200 fish, therefore I believe that we still have more than 1,000 that have really grown and ready for harvest,” said Mr. Kanyango.
Mr. Kanyango has advised farmers to embrace fish farming, adding that it’s much profitable to them compared to other types of farming. “As you see, this pond has taken a small surface area, and one can’t even plant maize, given that even if maize is planted here, one can only reap one sack which only amounts to Kshs. 2,000, but when we sell fish, we expect to get more than Kshs. 2000, and that means we will get sufficient profit. Fish products provide a high protein diet and contribute to improved nutrition and boosts the health of people living in rural areas where fish is the main protein supply,” he said.
Some of the farmers were grateful and expressed their delight while embracing the importance of fish farming. They went ahead and explained how resourceful fish has been to them and their entire families and how it has enabled them to pay school fees for their children.
“We have harvested fish which we shall take to the market and we hope to get good returns in terms of money, many of us have been able to pay school fees out of this project. We don’t have any regrets when it comes to practicing fish farming. In fact, we prefer this to maize farming. More so our children are healthy because they eat fresh fish which is rich in proteins and it is a viable business entity that we really benefit a lot from,” one of the farmers stated. Fish farming has been identified as a potential source of income and job creation for the people from that region.
