ETHIOPIA: ADF provides US $1.4 million to improve fish exploitation

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

ADDIS ABABA, 10 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - Ethiopia has received US $1.4 million from the African Development Fund (ADF) to finance the improvement of its largely untapped fish reserves, the fund said on Friday, adding that fishing could help reduce food insecurity and create jobs.

Currently, Ethiopia brings 15,000 tonnes a year of fish to the commercial market, but the government believes the country could produce more than three times as much. Domestic demand for fish is estimated at 85,000 tonnes annually and would increase to 100,000 by 2010, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

"Ethiopia has a large population, which provides a potential market for fish and fish products," the ADF said in an 83-page report. "Investments and gains of productivity in the fisheries sub-sector will enhance the utilisation of the natural fisheries resources while facilitating the creation of more job opportunities other than farming for the rural population, and restraining the large volume of human migration to the urban centres."

It also noted that in Ethiopia, a Christian Orthodox country, fasting was a traditional part of the religious calendar. During such periods, no meat or dairy foods can be eaten – making fish an ideal food.

"Furthermore fish is a very rich source of protein and would assist in the government’s attempts to attain food security," the ADF added.

Although Ethiopia is a landlocked country, it contains 15 major lakes – many along the Rift Valley – with a total area of 7,400 sq km. Rivers total 7,000 km in length, including the Blue Nile, which runs into Sudan and onwards to Egypt, and the Awash River, the longest in Ethiopia at 1,200 km.

The ADF also argued that with increasing incomes and the growing cosmopolitan nature of urban centres, the demand for fish was increasing. Currently, just ten percent of the potential catch from Lake Tana – Ethiopia’s largest lake at 3,600 sq km - is used.

In Gambella, another region with massive potential, less than one percent of fish are caught.

The Ethiopian Fish Marketing Enterprise says it has been in contact with countries interested in buying fish for export from the African nation. It hopes to include the UK and Austria among its clients. Egyptian and Saudi Arabian companies have also shown interest, the government agency said.

However, there are major challenges. According to the ADF, there are concerns over hygiene practises and the lack of infrastructure. The ADF said only one of the nine regions in the country had laws on fish management.

It also noted that the country lacked a fishing tradition and that the remoteness of many areas placed restrictions on getting ice and fuel to the country’s 15,000 fishermen.

[ENDS]