In 2015, the Local Enterprise Authority conducted a research into the Fish Industry, exploring the opportunities for its members to venture therein.

The study was, as titled, the “Fisheries Value Chain Analysis Study in Botswana”, conducted in April 2015.

This research is valuable for the entrepreneur that would like to explore the industry, and the full document is available for download from their website.

In this article we highlight the analysis found in regards to Fish Farming, wherein it was noted;

Commercial fish farming is almost none existent; there are limited small scale projects (mainly experimental) which operate extensively in ponds. However, out of the four respondents, only one was in operation at the time of the study. However, the DWNP stated that there were seventeen small scale fish farming projects as at December 2014.

Government owned hatchery unit in Mmadinare is currently not operating optimally. The automation structure has not been in operation since 2011 and currently fingerlings are produced naturally in the outdoor ponds only. This hatchery supplies fingerlings to the dams as well as fish farmers around the country.

In 2010, the production stood at 38 000 fingerlings per annum but by 2014, the production had gone down to 6 000 fingerlings which is an 85% reduction from the 2010 production figures.

Several efforts have been made to support fish farming in the country. However, fish farming has not taken off despite several initiatives by the government to provide assistance. The Aquaculture Development Strategy for Botswana was developed in 2011. The strategy was meant to guide the development of fish farming in the country.

Lessons from benchmark in South Africa and Zambia have shown that fish farming is viable but only if practiced intensively under controlled conditions.

Fish farming is a highly capital-intensive undertaking which requires government support and may only be available to the Medium and Large enterprises as a commercial venture.

Fish farming is the future production method of choice internationally due to consumers’ awareness and their informed demands including insistence on handling.