KALANGALA – The Minister of State for Fisheries, Hellen Adoa has handed over the proposed site for construction of the Mwena Aquaculture Park site worth 10 million Euros (about Shs41b) to Engpro International, a local Engineering Company in Uganda for fish cage farming.
While handing over the site to the contractor at Mwena landing site, in Kalangala District last week, Ms Adoa noted that the project will help boost the fish harvests in the country and create employment opportunities for both women and youth.
She added that the Project will be implemented under the Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Commercial Aqua-Culture (PESCA) aimed at enhancing Aquaculture Development and Management in Uganda.
The Director Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Edward Rukuunya, said that the investment is one of the mechanisms put in place by the government to diversify the fisheries sector in the country.
Dr Rukuunya said that whereas people in the country have been engaging in aquaculture, there is limited knowledge on best practices among the farmers and those willing to join the initiatives.
Since 2015, there has been growth in incomes generated from fish exports. The country exported 18,408 metric tonnes of fish valued at USD 117.5 million (446.5 billion Shillings) in 2015. In 2016, 19,546 tonnes worth USD 121.8 million (462.8 billion Shillings) were exported. Whereas, as the volume of fish exported declined 19,222, the amount of money earned was higher USD 137 million (about 520 billion Shillings), according to the Bank of Uganda Statistics.
