The government through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) has come up with a strategy to help fish farmers in Luuka district boost their income in their line of work.
This is one of the strategies government has embarked on to uplift people in rural areas especially in these difficult financial times bred by the COVID 19 pandemic.
NAADs went ahead to give out 150,000 fingerlings to fish farmers in Luuka district to promote their revenues in future.
Aggrey Musena the Fisheries Production Officer in Luuka district said that they had distributed 150,000 fingerlings worth Ugx 57 million to 60 farmers in the district.
He added that if the farmers looked after these fishes very well, they would be able to return a profit of about Ugx 720 million in a period of six months.
Lilian Nakaweesi the RDC of Luuka district said that fish farming was becoming a lucrative business in the district hence the choice to support these farmers.
“Fish farming is becoming a profitable business. It even does not require huge labor. The fish we have given them will multiply quickly. The prices of fish have also risen because it’s on high demand and most people now prefer tilapia because its healthy. We therefore decided to help these people to uplift themselves from poverty together with their families.” The RDC said.
The fishermen who were delighted at this initiative from the government said they are ready to work though they still have a problem of theft.
They say that the fishermen who were chased from the lake are now the ones stealing their fish from their dams.
The head of Operation Wealth Creation in Luuka district Rtd Maj. Godfrey Kakoma said that they had resorted to training these fish farmers on how to use bows and arrows to safeguard their fish
