ZAMBIA Aquaculture Cooperative Society (ZACOSO) Limited chairperson Collins Kachaka says the demonstration fish pond at Tungi Primary School in Mongu is expected to raise a minimum of K80,000 at harvest time. Dr Kachaka said in an interview that the pond, which was recently stocked with 10,000 fingerlings, is expected to produce four tonnes of fish in the next five months. He said the Tungi fish project is among the projects that ZACOSO has helped establish under the production units in schools.

This is in line with the Memorandum of Understanding the organisation signed with the Ministry of General Education to ensure schools are self-sustaining through aquaculture. “There is good money in fish farming and this is the reason we have partnered with the Ministry of General Education to help schools sustain themselves,” he said. And Dr Kachaka said Western Province should not be rated the poorest province because it is endowed with abundant water bodies and good soils that support fish farming.

He called on the provincial administration to engage his organisation to help people in other districts to venture into fish farming. Dr Kachaka said ZACOSO is ready to teach people fish farming skills for income generation. “The economy of Western Province is [partly] dependent on fish farming. We have enough water and the soils are good and there is no need to be poor.

There is need for the provincial administration to draw a programme and be part of the crusade as fish is slowly depleting in the river,” he said. Meanwhile, Mongu District Education Board secretary Sendoi Mutumba says the Tungi fish pond was set up to help schools in Mongu “learn how to grow fish in their backyards”. She said the development is meant to help schools raise their own money for the purchase of educational materials. “Part of the proceeds from the demonstration pond are expected to go towards supporting vulnerable pupils that we have in our schools,” she said. Ms Mutumba called on schools to take interest an