UBOS to conduct national aquaculture census

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) is scheduled to conduct the first-ever national census in the Aquaculture subsector,

Lawrence Kimbowa, the Senior Public Relations Officer at UBOS, states that, together with the teams from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), they are setting out to collect the official statistics on people involved in the aquaculture subsector.

Over the years, various individuals and companies have invested in fish farming by digging ponds, zoning and using cages in small-sized water bodies, creating compound and backyard ponds, among other artificial methods that can support fish growth and production.

Kimbowa observes that despite the sector’s substantial potential in complementing the country’s overall fish production and revenue basket, there are no clear statistics about the people who practice aquaculture, which complicates the government’s planning processes.

According to him, their technical teams have already selected at least 280 enumerators who are going to be deployed in the districts where fish farming is practiced, to conduct the census.

He indicates that the bureau has officially written to the different local government leaders, including Resident District Commissioners, asking them to render the enumerators all the necessary support in the exercise scheduled to begin next week.

However, Kimbowa has cautioned the public to be vigilant about unscrupulous people who may want to exploit the census to fleece them of money.

He indicates that the enumerators will carry clear identification cards and introduction letters, and they are expected to complete the census in one month.

Denis Nsereko, the Chairperson of Masaka Fish Farmers Association, observes that the census is going to present them with an opportunity to streamline the sector, whose players are currently on their own.

He indicates that for a long time, they have been struggling with a problem of substandard feeds on the market, which he says is a major frustration to the fish farmers.

He also acknowledges that the available statistics about fish farmers are so rudimentary, which frustrates their efforts to lobby the government for better policies and support, something that has curtailed the growth of the sector.

Records by the Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO estimate that Uganda produces about 15,000 tons of fish from aquaculture, including production from small-scale fish farmers, emerging commercial fish farmers that stocked community water reservoirs and minor lakes.

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