LUSAKA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Friday announced the start of a fish farming project aimed at boosting the production of fish for both local consumption and export.
The Aquaculture Productivity and Market Enhancement project aims at achieving the target of producing 50,000 tons of fish per year in two years.
Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Michael Katambo said the African Development Bank (AfDB) has pumped 50 million U.S. dollars into the project.
Apart from producing fish for local consumption, the project will help the country produce surplus fish for export, he added.
According to him, the high demand for fish in neighboring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the international market provides an opportunity for the country to boost fish production.
The project targets small and medium enterprises who will be given loans to start fish farming projects.
It will support construction of fish ponds, production of fingerlings in three of the country's provinces.
The official fish requirement for Zambia stands at 186,000 tons and the country has a fish deficit of 74,000 tons.
