The Kisii County Government has embarked on an ambitious fish farming project to boost food security and improve earnings to farmers.

Through the fisheries department, the county government targets to construct 288 fish ponds in a project set to cost Sh 57 million.

Speaking at Bogiakumu in Bonchari Sub County, Executive Committee Member (ECM) in charge of agriculture Vincent Sagwe said the objective of the initiative is to commercialize fish farming while improving food security.

“Currently, we have recruited youth who are building eight standard fish ponds measuring 300 square metres in each of the 45 wards in the county. Each pond will receive 1,000 fingerlings,” said Sagwe.

Farmers who reared fish in the Economic Stimulus Project have complained over marketing challenges and the county government is keen to address this gap.

“Fish is a perishable commodity so our farmers suffer losses if they don’t find ready market for their produce. We are modernizing the fish market in Kisii Town by equipping it with cold storage facilities to avoid situations where farmers sell their fish under duress. This will ensure quality and safety of the commodity and effective management of the market to ease fish marketing for mongers and fish farmers,” added Sagwe.

The county government will set up aqua shops in each of the 9 sub counties where farmers can access fish farming inputs, equipment and basic fish farming service including marketing of their produce. Each sub county will also get a fish multiplication and demonstration centre.

The centres will ensure increased availability of fingerlings as well as certified brood stock for supply to hatcheries.

County Director of Fisheries E. Muga said farmer groups will be supported to manufacture fish feed on their own to make the enterprise competitive because local production of Aqua feed will ensure lower cost of feed and hence lower production cost for farmers.