Fisheries drive to benefit 214 000 families

Minister Priscah Mupfumira

AT least 214 000 families are set to benefit from Government’s fisheries programme, which is being rolled out across the country to improve food and nutrition standards in communities, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Through the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), Government last year planted 100 000 fingerlings at Tokwe-Mukosi Dam in Masvingo, for instance, under the command fisheries programme.

The pelagic and non migratory sardine fish from Kariba Dam are being moved to other dams in the country’s 10 provinces and the programme is being monitored by ecologists.

Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Priscah Mupfumira, launched the same programme in Manicaland last week where she stressed the need to scale up the fisheries drive countrywide. 

The Minister said fishing presents huge economic opportunity and has to be aggressively pursued to strengthen food and nutritional security of the country.

“The fisheries programme is set to support 214 000 families, which equates to approximately 1,3 million people who are set to directly benefit at the height of the programme. These figures do not include downstream industries, which shall also benefit from increased production,” she said.

Minister Mupfumira said the country was investing in programmes that would benefit the environment while promoting economic turnaround. 

Ecologists have also confirmed that fingerlings being introduced into dams across the country would boost the ecology of the new water bodies by providing fish.—@queentauruszw