By HELEN ZULU –

THE Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has called on the Government to regulate the importation of fish from other countries in order to promote the growth of the fisheries sector.
ZNFU president Evelyn Nguleka said Government should regulate fish importation to help safeguard the development of the fisheries sector in Zambia as well as ensure there was adequate supply for consumption on the market.
Dr Nguleka said the fisheries industry in Zambia was currently under threat due to unsustainable fishing practices such as fish poisoning as well as a weak regulatory framework which had seen a number of unlicensed players engage in fish trade.
She said some water bodies such as Luapula River had their fish stocks depleted due to these unsustainable fishing practices coupled with the weak regulatory framework under Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
“We would like to urge the Government to regulate the importation of fish from other countries in order to promote the growth of the fisheries sector. ZNFU has observed that the fisheries sector is currently under serious threat due to unsustainable fishing practices such as fish poisoning as well as weak regulatory framework which has seen a number of unlicensed players in major fishing areas,” he said.
The Government should also implement fish audits in major lakes and
rivers and enhance monitoring activities to minimise overfishing and
pollution.
Dr Nguleka also said Government should strengthen regulatory framework in order to reduce the number of unlicensed operators and promote
training of extension officers in fish farming and aquaculture to increase available resource pool.
“In order to grow the fisheries sector, Government should implement a tailor-made fish ban according to the levels of available fish stocks in a particular water body as opposed to a blanket ban,” she added.
Meanwhile the Zambia Postal Services Corporation (ZAMPOST) has agreed to reduce post box charges for farmers in Mkushi.
This follows a fruitful meeting which was recently held between officials from ZAMPOST, and the ZNFU and farmers in the district to
address the high post box annual charges.
According to the ZNFU website, ZAMPOST had agreed to reduce post box charges for farmers in Mkushi district.
The website noted that last year ZAMPOST wrongly categorized farmers in the district into commercial category a measure which saw the charges increase from K475 to K1, 500.
The discussions resulted in the reversal category to sole proprietors to K627