Fish farming (aquaculture) provides an important contribution to food and nutrition security, this is according to Prof. Joseph Ouma Rasowo.
Prof. Rasowo, who is also the principal of Moi University’s Adero Akang’o campus in Siaya county was speaking on Wednesday in his inaugural lecture titled , 'The Kenyan Aquaculture Sub-Sector: Perspectives on Potential Impacts on Food, Nutrition Security and Poverty Alleviation'. The lecture was conducted at the Margret Thatcher Library, Moi University main campus. He said that increasing aquaculture production is a driver of change with regards to the availability, access and nutritional quality of fish being produced in the country.
He argues that although bigger fish normally fetch higher prices and fish farmers target their production in the belief that higher prices mean better profits, the reality is that it takes longer for fish to attain the big sizes and hence big fish tend to be expensive.
“It is more profitable to target the market range of poor consumers who do not mind consuming smaller fish which is affordable to them. It is more profitable because of the large market segment of poor consumers. A ready market for smaller fish means that the cultured fish attain market size in a shorter time, with more coops per year and at reduced risks of losses to predators and diseases,” noted the Professor.