Fish producer eyes new export markets

Walter Muchinguri Harare Bureau
Kariba-based Lake Harvest, the largest fish producer in Africa, has set its sights on two new export markets. The company, which produces a bream called the Nile Tilapia or Oreochromis niloticus, wants to add DRC, Angola and Mozambique to its export destinations. Lake Harvest is exporting about 80 percent of its produce with the Zambia market consuming 65 percent of the exports and the balance of 15 percent being shared by the United Kingdom, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa. Lake Harvest managing director Garikai Munatsirei said the strategy to increase exports was taken in line with the growth in business.

“Our annual production has increased from a low of 3,000 tonnes in 2008 to about 8,000 tonnes last year and this year we’re expecting at least 10,000 tonnes.

“Our strategy is to continue to grow the business so that it contributes to the economy through job creation as outlined in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation,” he said.

With a workforce of 800 workers, Lake Harvest is the biggest employer in Kariba. Apart from growing its exports Munatsirei said they were also focusing on increasing their market share in the country. “We’ve been trying to influence a culture of eating fish in the country which was almost non-existent,” he said.

He said some of the initiatives that they were pursuing in making their produce available to all Zimbabweans included selling their produce through retail chains such as OK that have a wide branch network that covers almost the whole country.

He added that their efforts on the local front had been hindered by cheap Tilapia imports that were finding their way into the country.

 

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