Africa-Press – Botswana. Residents of the river villages in Kgatleng have been urged to take up fish farming to improve their livelihood.
Various speakers among them Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mmusi Kgafela, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Mabuse Pule and the chief executive officer of Botswana Post, Mr Cornelius Ramatlhakwane said the sector had the potential to become Botswana’s major industry.
Minister Kgafela, who is also the MP for Mochudi West, said people should consider fish farming as it provided sustainability and could be done anywhere in the country.
He said a fish was one of the healthiest products as it was rich in nutrients and therefore had the potential to be one of the most consumed products.
However, he said fish was under threat from international fishermen, especially those doing marine fishing as they broke international laws in search of it.
He said subsidies provided by governments made fish less expensive for consumers and fishing equipment easily accessible.
He said international governments met recently to discuss the best practice to make the sector sustainable.
Mr Pule, who is also MP for Mochudi East and the organiser of the event, said he started the Fish Market Day last year after reading a research paper on the potential of fishing in the river villages.
The river villages comprise Ramotlabaki, Oliphant’s Drift, Malolwane and Sikwane which are along the Limpopo, Madikwe and Notwane rivers. Oliphant’s Drift is at the confluence of the Madikwe and Limpopo rivers.
Mr Pule said the event helped local fishermen as it exposed them to the market across the country, with people making orders through their social media pages.
The event marked a celebration of fish resources in the area and was also meant to promote aqua tourism as well as the rich culture and heritage of the river villages.
The MP noted that fish farming would also be covered under the Thuo Letlotlo programme.
Mr Ramatlhakwane, a resident of Malolwane, said the fish industry had the potential for economic growth and employment creation and encouraged residents not to just look into fish farming, but the whole value chain.He said it was time for the country to look into commercialisation and development of wildlife to create opportunities for local communities.
Mr Ramatlhakwane said Botswana Post remained committed to sponsoring the event. It provided prize money for the fishing competition which was won by the Madikwe team.One of the fishermen, Mr Oaitse Mariri thanked MP Pule for the initiative as they were already reaping its benefits.
He said from the challenges they experienced prior to the event last year, they have been able to come up with solutions although some remained.
He said among them was the licensing requirement which has been a major stumbling block as the fee has been increased from P250 to P500.
He called upon the MP to help them, adding that the licence took three years when they paid P250 and now was only valid for a year although the price has been doubled.
Mr Mariri said although they were well serviced by the wildlife department, they should be under the Ministry of Agriculture for them to have access to various government programmes.
Mr Benjamin Motshegwa of Sikwane was the star of the day as he caught the biggest fish, which led his team to win the competition and pocket P1 250.
Oliphant’s Drift became second and went home with P750 while Ramotlabaki got P500 for third position. The trophies were sponsored by JB Sports.
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