RICE-CUM-FISH PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES FOR ZAMBIA PRESENTED BY MULENGA V.MUSONDA CHIEF AQUACULTURE OFFICER

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Zambia is blessed with more than 40% of the water in the SADC region. It has varsity wetlands suitable for rice and fish production Rice is grown independently from fish traditionally in wetlands No tangible research has been conducted before to produce rice together with fish The main areas include Northern, Muchinga Luapula and Western provinces There has been some scanty attempts to do Rice-Cum –Fish

AQUACUTURE DEVELEOPMENT TRENDS IN ZAMBIA Aquaculture development has been slow since 1940s when the species for culture were identified Modern Aquaculture promotion started in the 1980s as the fish demand increased while supply from capture fisheries reduced from 12 kg per person per year The production practices have been mostly for subsistence and small scale Integrated fish farming with livestock and crops have been taught to farmers in general Aquaculture at SME and commercial level has been practiced in isolation by each stake-holder until the making of the National Aquaculture development strategy and plan

STRATEGIC ELEMENTS OF THE AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN ZAMBIA Aquaculture to be promoted as a business Shift farmers from subsistence to SME level Apply the use of business oriented production or integration systems The use of quality fish seed and feeding system to attain high profits throughout the value chains Intensify production systems to meet the market demands Clustering or use of Aqua-parks to promote bulking for better markets

ATTEMPTS MADE ON RICE –CUM –FISH The fish culture development project of 1980s introduced rice-cum –fish culture in theory Two companies ( Kafue Fisheries and ZNS ) have tried it at the commercial scale Some small scale farmers in Muchinga have also attempted

HIGH POTENTIAL ZONES FOR RICE –CUM –FISH High potential wetlands for Rice cum fish include Northern, Muchinga and Western provinces Others that can be tried include Kafue flats, North-western and other isolated areas Areas with good soils, pH, average temperature of 25oc for fish production and good photo period Areas with easy access to inputs and markets for both fish and Rice

CANDIDATE SPECIES AND PRODUCTION SYSTEMS FOR RICE CUM FISH Most omnivore fish species like Tilapia rendalli and Oreochromis andersonii can be the best candidate for rice cum fish The Idea production system can be the use of pen and paddy ponds depending on the area The bio-resource flow where inputs are efficiently used for all products involved in the value chain Rotational production system can be another ideal system

CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH RICE-CUM FISH IN ZAMBIA It is not a traditional Aquaculture or Agriculture practice in Zambia A requirement for suitable fish species and variety of rice Duration and climatic requirement for production There are no technological packages developed and disseminated to farmers as yet The biasness and limited expert knowledge of combing the two It appears ideal for subsistence level and not for commercial It’s no clear on how you can set the investment plan without known value chains

Thank for your attention Questions after 72 hours please