Reply To: NORTH KIVU BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND WARS

[Congo]

This project, launched by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, aims to improve the supply of fish, boost employment in this sector and reinvigorate the capacity of the DRC and Angola Feeding the continent. Tone was given to this project as of Tuesday, June 27, 2017. It was the Secretary General for Agriculture, Léopold Mulumba, who officially launched this great project, during a ceremony organized at the Cercle of Kinshasa, a Located in the municipality of la Gombe.

Funded to the tune of USD 2.6 million by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), this initiative should be a real heartfelt asset for the Congolese population in general and for rural and peri-urban areas in particular.

The pilot project of the Aquaculture Value Chain for Improving Fish Supply, Employment and Nutrition in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being launched by IITA since yesterday.

“The main objectives of this project are to help reinvigorate freshwater aquaculture in the DRC and Angola, to contribute to the safety of nutrition and increase rural incomes; Assist fish farmers and stakeholders in the value chain in both countries to improve the productivity of existing farms; Help in the development of new and profitable CVs and promote countries with sustainable and potentially widespread experience in aquaculture, “it was reported. Clearly, this project aims to improve the productivity of aquaculture through clean development of fingerlings, fish feeding and overall management. In order to achieve this, it will be necessary to identify and support the development of CVs that generate benefits for women, youth and vulnerable groups; Establish a foundation for knowledge and best practices and the policy that supports public and private investments for sustainable and viable aquaculture in Angola, the North West Region and the DRC in the Provinces of Kinshasa and South Kivu.

The details of Timothée Mahungu

Timothée Mahungu, IITA’s Country Director, was among those who had to make a statement during the conference giving the go to this project. He therefore took the opportunity to bring all the necessary lights. “This is a project on aquaculture, in other words, fish farming. In the DRC, we had funding from IFAD to rehabilitate the fish market in Congo. When we talk about aquaculture, it is how to teach people to raise fish, especially in ponds, so that fish grow in a good way and provide quality food to the rural and urban population Of the DRC, “he said. The project aims, he insisted, to improve fish farming in this country in order to address the concern about how to provide quality food to fish so that they are themselves quality food. ” Often people with ponds go so far as to throw cassava leaves or bread to feed fish, which is not normal. We want quality food that will make the fish grow in good conditions. The project revolves around US $ 2.4 million provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The first beneficiaries are fish farmers in rural and peri-urban areas, “he said.

precautionary measure

In order to carry out this important project, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture has carried out a study for results-based implementation planning. At the end of this process, IITA achieved the following results: access to high quality inputs for aquaculture; Facilitating access to and improving knowledge, extension and financial services for aquaculture fish farmers; And the capacity of public and private organizations to manage and develop aquaculture.

With regard to the targeted provinces, there are Kinshasa and South Kivu. At Kinshasa, the main targets are Kimwenza, Kinkole, N’sele, Maluku, Mbankana. In South Kivu, there are Kabare, Bagira, Kalehe and Walungu. The project will last three years and will be beneficial for fish farmers around Bukavu and in the hinterland around Kinshasa.

Challenges and constraints

Dr. Paul Matungulu, Project Coordinator, in his speech on the occasion of this launch listed constraints for sustainable aquaculture. According to him, there are not enough financial supports for private starting aquaculture. The main pitfalls are the inadequate quality of fingerlings, the lack of an appropriate type of fingerlings for different areas of the country, inadequate manure, lack of cheaper fish food, lack of appropriate technologies, poor rural infrastructure, lack of strategy Marketing, inadequate extension workers, insufficient donor support, and so on. Hence, it is necessary to think more than once before tackling this exciting field of fish farming.