Government delivers fish feed worth Sh34.6m to Tharaka Nithi County farmers

David Mutwiri and Blaise Gitonga-KNA

The Government has delivered fish feed worth Sh34.6 million and announced plans to make available fingerlings to Tharaka Nithi County in a bid to boost fish production in the country.

The Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, Ali Hassan Joho, noted that the county had great potential in aquaculture.

He was commissioning the Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) - Mutonga Research Centre and Chuka Fresh Fish Market both in Tharaka Nithi County.

The CS said the government is ready to invest more to enhance the fish production potential into commercial viability, as part of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

In his tour of the county, CS Joho said besides the fish feed, the government has already put in place plans to make available fingerlings worth Sh145.2 million to farmers through an ongoing project.

"The greatest challenge left is fish feed. I have launched KMFRI to assist in extension services as well as equip farmers with knowledge and research. The fish production potential in this county is high and that tells you we need to do more here," the CS Joho emphasized.

He added that as much as coffee, tea and dairy farming were key sectors of production in the country, there is a need to concentrate on fish farming to diversify investment and minimize risks.

Tharaka-Nithi Governor, Muthomi Njuki, requested the CS through his Ministry to intervene in finding a market for fish products, which is a major challenge to farmers in the county. 

The Governor noted the need to have an organized system that includes cooperative and value addition through a fish processing plant that will guarantee maximum returns to farmers.

"My administration is ready to partner with the national government to create cold rooms and storages that can store fish products when they are in the market to fetch considerable returns," the Governor said.

He added that he hoped, through KMFRI, that Tharaka Nithi farmers will get the much-needed assistance to boost their productions as well as necessary research towards the same venture.

The Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Blue Economy and Fisheries, Betsy Njagi, said that the government would collaborate with the Tharaka Nithi County Government to ensure more development projects for the over 5,000 fish farmers in the County, by supporting them with farming inputs, as well as expanding their markets.

Tharaka Nithi County Woman Representative, Susan Ngugi, asked the government to construct a fish processing plant in the county, to support in value addition.

In addition, the legislator lobbied for a training centre to equip fish farmers with the necessary skills and knowledge on farming.

Other leaders present included Mining PS, Elijah Mwangi, Tharaka Constituency MP, George Murugara, County Commissioner, David Gitonga, Speaker of the County Assembly, and John Mbabu, among others.