By Joshua Kato
According to Vincent Ssebutemba, a fish farmer consultant and trainer at the Harvest Money Expo, there are mainly three things that affect the fish farming sector.
These include the location and size of the pond and, selection of fingerlings and feeds.
“At the expo, we shall train farmers on how to innovatively select ponds, pick fingerlings and feed their fish for maximum earnings,” he says.
Ssebutemba, also a fish farmer says that good qualities of fish feed are the secret to making good money in the fish industry.
He noted that the feeds ought to have balanced nutritional requirements for fish at every stage, for example, amino acids and fatty acids.
“The feeds should be able to bring good digestibility meaning that they should be easily absorbed by the fish’s digestive system, it is also important that they are palatable or attractive to stimulate the fish’s appetite,” he added.
Ssebutemba says that a fast and healthy growing fish will provide a tasty dish for the customers citing that this will not only bring a farmer more revenue, but a happy customer will bring them joy as well.
He also explains that good farm management practices including sampling are very important for a farmer to attract customers and make profits.
He urged farmers to ensure that they continuously assess the performance of the feeds and calculate the feed requirements at a particular time in order to help meet the nutrients and energy of the fish.
Ssebutemba encourages farmers to embrace good biosecurity measures to help them reduce the risk of catastrophic losses from infectious disease and low-level losses that, over time, can also greatly affect the bottom line.
The Harvest Money Expo slated for February 14-16 at Mandela National Stadium Namboole is organised by Vision Group in partnership with the Embassy of the Netherlands, and sponsored by the Uganda Development Corporation, Engineering Solutions (ENGSOL), Tunga Nutrition, Bella Wines, Pepsi Cola and aBi Development.
