Aquaculture (fish farming) has only been in Africa between 50 – 70 years, so it is still in its infancy on the continent. And In Mzansi, the industry is still in the developmental stage with huge potential to grow and contribute towards employment and food security.
Because aquaculture is a fairly new concept, prospective farmers and interested individuals have many questions regarding the industry. Questions like: Is it capital intensive? What are the barriers to entry? Are there training facilities available in SA and which technology systems are used?
On a recent episode of Food For Mzansi’s weekly Gather To Grow interactive discussion on Twitter, the publication’s editor for audience and engagement, Dawn Noemdoe, and head of news, Duncan Masiwa, discussed how new farmers can get started.
Joining them as an expert panellist was:
- David Fincham – Director of David Fincham Aquaculture in Gauteng
Did you miss this live session? You can listen to the recording here. Meanwhile, here are some of the highlights from the lively discussion.
The importance of a business plan
When discussing what a new farmer should consider when venturing into aquaculture, Fincham highlights the importance of a good business plan.
“What a lot of people try to do is set up a business without getting a full plan together… One has to have a really well rounded business plan and skillset to put onto bankers’, funders’ or an NGO’s table,” explains Fincham.
With the lack of aquaculture skills in South Africa, Fincham also suggests engaging with an expert to help one understand the farming processes, controlling the environment, feeding and waterflows.
“The chances are you [will] lose a batch of fish. Once you lose a batch of fish, you are going to be set back by anything between four and six months,” explains Fincham.
Aquaculture technology and systems
The most basic system is an open pond with no water circulation and no aeration. Although this is the most basic system, it has to be in the right environment for tilapia or trout.
Fincham explains that trout is a cold water fish and tilapia a warm water fish, which means that in a lot of areas in South Africa, a farmer’s growing season will be short. “And if you’re in the wrong areas the risk of losing stock is great,” Fincham says.
There are also cage operations and recirculating systems. Recirculating circuits are ponds, tanks or large concrete systems.
Another important factor on a fish farm is electricity. “You cannot operate a fish farm without constant electricity because of the stocking densities and high biological loads on these farms. You’ve literally got in some cases, minutes to make sure that your back up systems are operating before you would lose basically your whole farm.”
Feed costs and markets
When it comes to feed costs, Fincham points out that this contributes roughly 60% to a farmer’s production cost. He recommends a farmer should look for a supplier that will give them good quality feed at a good price. “If you invest in good quality feed, you get good results,” he states.
Marketing is another important aspect which a farmer should look at and take care of right in the beginning. Fincham says that it is important for farmers to look at the volume of products they’re producing, the costs they’re producing it at, the price they’re going to sell it at, who they’re going to sell it to and the logistics involved.
According to Fincham, most farmers start with a fingerling, which is a fish the size of a finger. It takes a minimum of six months for a fingerling to grow into an edible plate-sized fish.
“One of the most important factors in growing a fish is the temperature. If the temperature is not cold or warm enough it can delay the growth of the fish,” he says.
ALSO READ: Aquaculture: Five tips to get started
Funding and training
When it comes to funding, Fincham reckons to be successful, farmers need to table great proposals.
Funding opportunities are available through government, the LandBank and the department of trade and industry (DTI). There is also the Aquaculture Development Enhancement Programme, which is a small fund that was set up in 2013 by the DTI.
Fincham says that the aquaculture sector is as diverse as any other sector and encourages people venture into the industry.
If an aspiring aquafarmer’s focus is purely on production, he suggests getting in touch with someone that is producing a lot of fish and drawing knowledge from them through means of an internship or “wet hands” skills development. He also says that there are universities across the country which offer aquaculture marine programmes.
Don’t forget to join the Gather To Grow live sessions, hosted by @foodformzansi on twitter every Wednesday at 18:00.
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