Ongwediva
Financial constraints in the further construction of a N$140 million aquaculture project at Onakalunga in Ohangwena resulted in the project being shelved for now.
According to acting chief regional officer (CRO) Phillip Shilongo there no funds have been allocated for the fish project in the current financial year. The project is said to have been idling since 2014 when it was fenced off at the cost of N$3 million.
Shilongo could not confirm when the project is expected to restart, saying commencement of the work on site will be determined by the availability of funds.
Onakalunga Aquaculture is to be constructed as a sister institution to the fish farm in Omusati Region. “The fish farm at Onakalunga is envisaged to be constructed same as that at Onavivi,” said Shilongo.
The primary aim of the project is to create an opportunity for the local community to farm with fish in the quest to secure food for themselves and where possible to sell to generate an income.
The farm would also promote fish farming in the region and improve the nutritional status of the region’s inhabitants.
“We want to promote fish consumption, assist local farmers to establish fish farming and start farming for their own consumption,” Shilongo said.
He added that the establishment of the fish farm in Onakalunga would make fish readily accessible to the region’s inhabitants and those in surrounding areas. Once operational, the farm is expected to produce ilapia and catfish.
At the recent fish harvest at Epalela Fish Farm, Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Bernhardt Esau expressed concern over the low productivity of local aquaculture.
He attributed the low production on the scarcity of fish feed due to the drought experienced last year, but was hopeful for an increase in aquaculture production.