Photo courtesy.
Fish farmers from Kakamega County are set to benefit from a Sh20m fish cooperative to be started in the county to enable the producers source fingerlings from their neighbouring Busia County as opposed to fetching the juvenile fish from as far as Nandi County.
This is part of a proposed partnership between the two neighbouring counties that will enable improved fish production to curb the current deficit.
“Our people have been going to Kisumu to look for fish yet our brothers in Busia can execute that task to promote the economy of the border county,” said Wycliffe Oparanya, Kakamega governor.
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Wakhungu fish farm at Bumala in Busia County is one centers by the government of Kenya to help produce quality and enough fingerlings for farmers in the area. The next nearby government centre to Kakamega is Chwele fish farm at Chwele in Bungoma County
Alupe fish farm in Busia County is another fingerlings production centre but by Lake Basin Development Authority.
This makes Busia County the nearby county that can service farmers in Kakamega County as there is no fingerlings production centre in Kakamega.
According to last year research report by Abung’ana Rechard Shikami on Factors Influencing Income of Individual in Fish Pond Farming in Kakamega East Sub-County for the University of Nairoby, none involvement of stakeholders in fish farmers enterprises caused fears among the farmers on whether challenges such as lack of affordable fingerlings among others could be tackled.
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Sources of Fingerlings in Kenya:
Some important sources of fingerlings as listed by the National Farmers Information Service (NAFIS) includ
a) Government fish multiplication centers e.g.
Sagana at Sagana in Kirinyaga County
Kiganjo trout centre in Nyeri County
Chwele fish farm at Chwele in Bungoma County
Wakhungu fish farm at Bumala in Busia County
Kisii fish farm in Kisii town
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b) Lake Basin Development Authority fish farms e.g.
Kibos fish farm in Kisumu County
LBDA Chwele fish farm Chwele in Bungoma County
Yala fish farm in Siaya County
Alupe fish farm in Busia County
However, selected and certified fish farmers in the country can also produce the fingerlings either for their own use or for sell to other farmers but hey need to work with seed production experts for advice.