Northwest farmers gain fish production techniques

Some selected fish farmers in the North West region have been trained on better fish farming techniques to boost its production and sustainability in the region.

This was in a three-day workshop that held simultaneously at the Presbyterian Church centre and CBC Nkwen recently in Bamenda.

The two workshops dubbed sustainable integrated pond based aquaculture with rice and poultry production: economic, social and environmental assessment led by the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and poverty eradication and grassroots empowerment through sustainable integrated aquaculture development: fish cum rice and piggery production led by the University of Njala, Sierra Leon.

Opening the two-day workshop, Dr Pius Mbu Oben, associate professor and national coordinator CORAF/WECARD projects, presented as one which focuses on development of a viable and sustainable integrated aquaculture production for rural poor farmers.

“There are three components of this; development of suitable integrated fish-rice-poultry production technology through participatory research, market access and quality of aquaculture products improved and the institutional strengthening and integrated capacity building of all stakeholders “he said.

On why the workshop for local fish farmers in the region, Dr Pius Mbu Oben said it was due to the failure of fish production in Cameroon, Nigeria and Sirea Leon adding that the three days of the workshop was an opportunity to promote fish farming in Cameroon, pig farming and poultry.

For three days, participant’s wearer school on fish farming in integration with poultry and rice production as well as the farming of pigs and rice in the same environment. The workshop which comes after a pilot study in the University of Buea ended with a success story and manuals developed and distributed to the farmers for exploitation back in their respective farms.

According to Dr Pius Mbu Oben, the two projects shall contribute enormously to sustain poverty reduction. “The project will improve the ability of most rural farmers to be self-employed thus reducing the high rate of unemployment in the project area, boost the income levels of the project communities and assure food security and equally increase production and nutrition level of the production communities.

We shall also train the on how to smoke fish and provide them with smoking kilns that can keep dry fish in the market for two months. Through our laboratory in the University of Buea, we shall be guaranteeing the supply of fingerlings to the farmers at a reduced cost to make the initiative sustainable and long lasting.”

To Susan Fri, a fish farmer in Mbengwi, Momo Division, the workshop shall boost her effort greatly, “I have up-to-date knowledge in fish farming now. It will better what I have been doing, correct my mistakes and increase my productions “she said. The project which comes to the northwest after Buea is valued one million US Dollars and is expected to end on December 31, 2016