Fishing Industry Struggles To Resume Operations

COVID-19 threatens Binga district's fishing industry. Image by Aquaculture Zimbabwe | Facebook

BY BOKANI MUDIMBA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | NOV 24, 2020
 
A once thriving fish industry in Binga is reeling under the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued restrictions and inability to recapitalise remain the major hurdles.

BINGA (The Citizen Bulletin) — The outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown has dealt a heavy blow to the fishing industry in Binga where many are struggling to recover from the effects of the global pandemic.

The fishing industry falls under agriculture and contributes about 12 percent to the country’s GDP. It is the backbone of Binga district’s economy.

Sam Sibanda is one of the hundreds of fishermen in the Matabeleland North district whose livelihoods depend on fishing along the Zambezi River.

“We were seriously affected especially during the first months of the lockdown. The first total 21-day closure that was effected in March was a big blow to the industry because many lost large volumes of fish and kapenta when the sector was suddenly closed.”

“People could not dry or freeze their catch because the fishing camps were immediately dispersed while those who had just set-off into the lake abandoned their missions.”
Sam Sibanda, a Binga fisherman

Sibanda says, while the government later reviewed the lockdown and allowed fishing to resume, many have struggled to re-establish themselves. Camps are still closed because of the need for social distancing since there are usually hundreds of people at each fishing camp.

The few who have resumed fishing activities are said to be still struggling because they do not have start-up capital licence renewal and fuel for boats.

The Binga community has over the years felt short-changed by the central government’s failure to capacitate the fishing industry which has remained largely subsistent.

There are over 200 fish farmers registered under Binga Fisheries Association and Kujatana Kweesu Cooperative, thousands remain unregistered.

A fishing permit costs over US$2 000 while licence renewal fees are pegged at US$300 per boat every four months. In neighbouring Mozambique and Zambia permits cost US$400 and US$600 respectively.

Some recently started fishing but are still incapacitated as they cannot raise licence fees.

“Generally, this is a good industry which is capable of supplying the whole country with fish and kapenta. The market is very wide as some nationwide shops such as Jasbro and Quality Foods get kapenta fish from Binga,” Susan Kapotwe, chairperson of the Binga Fisheries Association says.

The market is both local and national.

Traders from Bulawayo, Hwange, Victoria Falls and other areas buy from fishing camps in Mlibizi, Simatelele and Binga centre while those from Harare, Gweru, Kwekwe, Gokwe, Chegutu and Kadoma buy from Mujere, Chibuyu, Nsengwa Island, all along Zambezi River because of proximity.

“Without fish, Binga people have no source of income because fishing is our biggest industry. Almost all families rely on the river one way or the other because historically we were all settled along the Zambezi.”

Fish market in Binga has the capacity to supply fish and kapenta to the whole country. Image by Aquaculture Zimbabwe | Facebook

“Now with COVID -19 all people were forced to go back to their homes and you can imagine the kind of life they have been living without a source of income. Some have even failed to travel back to the fishing camps because of lack of transport money,” says Chief Siachilaba of Binga.

Five years ago, the government issued 17 permits to Binga chiefs in an effort to enhance economic empowerment at a time when locals were failing to access the permits due to exorbitant licence fees. Chief Siachilaba is one of the beneficiaries of the permits which he says has not been viable because of the exorbitant licence renewal fees.

Government has in the past promised to help the community to form business consortiums to start harvesting fish but that has remained a pipedream.

Many are failing to renew their licences and the outbreak of COVID-19 worsened the situation.

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Chief Siachilaba says those with unlicensed boats are afraid of resuming operations for fear of being arrested.

Others cannot sell to the formal market because of lack of tax clearance.

“Camps are deserted as there are few people going into the river these days. This has affected supply to the market and prices have also gone up. A kilogramme of fish which used to cost between US$1,50 and US$2 is now US$4 while that of kapenta is now US$6 from between US$3 and US$4,” says Agneta Muleya whose husband is a fisherman at Twasumpuka camp.

Binga is one of the country’s districts rich in fish, alongside Kariba and Norton. Others such as Masvingo benefitted from command aquaculture and fisheries that were introduced by the government in 2017.

700 000 fingerlings were stocked in man-made dams in 20 districts including Binga.

There is high demand for fish due to an increase in health consciousness and the need to boost nutrition, household income as well as provide employment.

Some poachers have been taking advantage of the lockdown and fishing in protected breeding areas which might be detrimental to sustainability of the industry in future.

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