NFA urged to help farmers

 A FISH farmer from Chimbu has called on National Fisheries Authority (NFA) to provide markets for inland fish farmers in the Highlands.

Bensy Gamba from Kundiawa Gembogl said: “There is no market for us to sell our fish, despite our hard work.

“I’ve ventured into inland-fish farming in 2006 but after all these years of hard work, I see that their no good outcome due to less market opportunities. 

“All my effort and the resources I put into this business.”  

Gamba said the only market for the farmers had been catering companies contracted to mineral exploration companies in the Highlands. 

However, this “little market opportunity” had been occupied by well-established fish farmers, he said.

He added that NFA provided them funding for materials and fingerlings but it was on a regular basis. NFA’s aquaculture/inland fisheries executive manager Jacob Wani had said fish farming was mainly for food security.

“A lot of people have the misconception that there is a lot of money to be made from inland fish farming, which is not,” Wani said. 

“There is not a lot of money to 

be made in fish farming in inland areas.

“If they produce more than enough for their own they get to sell it. It’s not like I will become a millionaire overnight from selling fish farmed inland. That’s where a lot of people have been getting it wrong.

“We are targeting our small people for food security. Inland and coastal fisheries have significant benefits to our people.

“With tuna what we need its money to develop alternate fisheries for our people.”