Nyeri County invests Sh21 million in fish farming
A worker at Trout Valley in Nyeri County harvests trout fish from a pond. The Nyeri County government has invested Sh21 million in fish farming. FILE PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- He said they also bought a Sh4 million refrigerated truck and fish processing equipment worth Sh1.5 million.
- Mr Nyaga said they hope the fish processing plant will also serve other counties.
The Nyeri County government has invested Sh21 million in fish farming.
The funds will be used to purchase fingerlings for farmers, setting up fish processing and storage facilities.
The county will spend Sh3.6 million to purchase fingerlings for farmers to improve the quality of fish reared in ponds.
According to reports from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nyeri County leads in fish production in central Kenya followed by Kiambu and Kirinyaga counties.
Nyeri County Agriculture Chief Officer David Nyaga said the county had bought deep freezers worth Sh800,000 for fish storage.
He said they also bought a Sh4 million refrigerated truck and fish-processing equipment worth Sh1.5 million.
“We see it as a great achievement to have done so much in just three months. The refrigerated truck will ensure harvested fish reaches the plant while fresh,” he said.
Mr Nyaga said they hoped the fish processing plant would also serve other counties.
“We have factored in that farmers from other counties will bring their fish for processing in the plant,” he added.
The fisheries departments has drawn a year-long schedule of stocking the 3,146 ponds in the county to ensure continuous operation of the plant once it is opened.
The county government also has plans to construct fish hatcheries.
According to Nyeri County Fish Farming Co-operative Chairman Charles Mbaoni, fish farmers will benefit from the processing plant as finished products will be sold in other counties.
