Government plans to invest Rwf9.5 billion to increase fish production in the country, a top official at Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) has told The New Times.

According to Solange Uwituze, the Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Research and Technology Transfer at RAB, the country’s fish production by 2021 was 39,269 tonnes of which 87 percent was from fish capture and only 13 percent came from fish farming.

Illegal fishing practices, low investment, expensive fish feeds and lack of value addition among others have been cited among the major contribution to low production.

Rwanda's demand for fish is estimated to reach 112,000 tons by 2024.

There remains only two years to reach the target yet the country has not even produced half of the projected demand, a situation that has left officials scratching their heads for major interventions.

Producing 112,000 tons by 2024 per year could help Rwanda attain the average sub-Sahara per capita consumption of 6.6 kilogrammes per person per annum and 265,600 metric tons to reach the global average of 16.6 kilos.

In order to increase fish production, Uwituze said that Rwanda seeks to invest Rwf240.8 million in 2022/2023 fiscal year and Rwf283.7 million in 2023/2024 fiscal year in restocking of lakes and ponds as well as Rwf85.1 million on training of cooperatives on production technologies.

She said that Rwf4 billion and Rwf4.7 billion are planned to be invested in subsidizing fish feed production in 2022/23 and 2023/24 fiscal years respectively.

Investing in fish ponds

She said fish ponds are among the areas that government seeks to support for improving production.

There are 1,583 ponds covering a total surface of 252 hectares covering 2,520,000 square metres in the country.

"Of these, 938 ponds on 771,819 square metres were rehabilitated and stocked with tilapia fingerlings; they are now under production,” she said.

The official noted that fish production from fish ponds has increased from 461 tonnes in 2020 to 490. 8 tonnes in 2021.

With support and new investment, she said, the production is expected to increase from 1, 543.6 tonnes expected in 2022 to 2,000 tonnes by 2023.

"Production from capture fisheries is threatened by numerous factors and the only feasible way to increase fish production is through intensification of aquaculture (fish farming) which is expected to have a higher contribution to fish production in Rwanda,” she said.

Uwituze explained that until 2010 fish farming in ponds was the only common farming system that was adopted in Rwanda but today other intensive systems are being promoted such as fish farming in cages, tanks, and dams.

"Current capture production from lakes and rivers is not sufficient to satisfy both internal and external demands, so there is a need for additional fish production from fish farming. Pond fish farming can contribute to fish production, job creation, eradicating malnutrition, and increased fish consumption,” she said.

She explained that there are opportunities since the industry is still young and growing.

"There are also free marshlands suitable for fish pond development and no competition with crops,” she said, assuring that there is availability of fingerlings.

She said that the 12 hatcheries available in the country are able to produce 40 million fingerlings annually.

Fish imports status

According to the report by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of which The New Times has a copy, fish imports increased from 22,473 tonnes worth Rwf22 billion in 2017 to 35,772 tonnes worth Rwf32.5 billion in 2020.

Fish imported in the country include live fish, fresh or chilled fish, frozen fish, fillets, or dried fish, salted or in brine as well as smoked fish, crustaceans, as well as aquatic invertebrates.

The most popular fish species in Rwanda is Nile Tilapia, which represents 90 per cent of the stock consumed, according to the report.

Despite high imports recorded in 2020, only 12,938 tonnes worth Rwf15.4 billion was imported in 2021 due to Covid-19 disruption as explained by Jean Baptiste Ukwizagira in in charge of research and statistics at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The importers reduced the imports as the re-export market to DRC was also disrupted by Covid-19 restrictions.

Rwanda has a major fish export and re-export market in DR Congo as almost 100 percent of fish exports goes to this country.

From July to December, 2021 Rwanda exported 15,857,089 kilogrammes of fish all of which went to the neighbouring country.