NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 29 – Kenya’s Victory Farms has announced plans to construct a 10,000 metric tonnes tilapia hatchery.
The plans were announced during the just concluded Sustainable Blue Economy Conference.
The hatchery will see the firm become sub-Sahara Africa’s largest tilapia hatchery in 2019.
The firm that started in 2015 is currently the largest fish farm in East Africa.
“We are proud to produce a fresh, delicious and healthy protein for tens of thousands of households across Kenya,” the firm said.
Tilapia is a traditional and favourite dish in almost all countries of sub-Saharan Africa, one of the most exploited inland water fish species in the region.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the average annual per capita fish consumption in sub- Saharan Africa is approximately 8.9 kilograms.
“It is difficult to quantify demand trends specifically for tilapia due to scanty data; however nearly all tilapia produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is locally consumed, with very limited exports to overseas markets. Notable countries with a strong demand for tilapia include DRC, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia,” FAO says.
Victoria Firms is one of Kenya’s private sector that announced commitments during the three day conference that ended on Wednesday.
Java House Africa also committed to plastic-free services in all its establishments while Toyota Tutsho plans to Invest in renewable energy in Africa including generation of energy from waste in Mombasa.
