Munguti Jonathan, Muthoka Mavindu, Chepkirui Mercy, Kyule Domitila, Obiero Kevin, Ogello Erick, Madalla Nazael A, Kwikiriza Gerald
National Aquaculture Research Development and Training Center (NARDTC) Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Sagana, Kenya.
Department of Animal and Fisheries Sciences Maseno University, Maseno, Kenya.
Aquac Nutr. 2024 Sep 26;2024:8484451. doi: 10.1155/2024/8484451. eCollection 2024.
This review paper provides an in-depth analysis of the current status, challenges, and strategies for improvement within the fish feed industry in East Africa, focusing on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Aquaculture production in these countries is experiencing steady growth, driven by increasing demand for fish and fish products for both nutritional and economic purposes. Despite the market facilitating the transition from extensive to semi-intensive and moderately intensive farming systems across the four countries, the sector's progress is hampered by a lack of sustainable, locally produced, high-quality, and cost-effective fish feeds tailored to different developmental stages of fish. Despite the evident need, there is a notable scarcity of comprehensive reviews addressing the regional perspective of fish feed due to heightened cross-border trade driven by the soaring demand and increased installation of cages in Lake Victoria, as well as in inland dams and reservoirs. This paper addresses critical challenges, such as regional scarcity and limited access to quality feed ingredients, regulatory obstacles, insufficient quality control measures, infrastructure constraints, and a lack of awareness and understanding of feed management and formulation. To overcome these challenges, the paper recommends fostering collaboration to establish a robust regional fish feed supply chain, investing in research and development initiatives, advocating for policy reforms and regulatory support, and compliance with East African Community quality standards for fish feed. Moreover, there is an urgent need to enhance human resource capacity through training and extension services, promote public investment support, strengthen sector institutions and industry associations, conduct training and awareness programs for feed providers, and improve storage facilities to maintain feed quality. The paper provides policymakers with valuable insights to inform targeted interventions that will catalyze positive transformation within the fish feed industry in East Africa.
本综述论文深入分析了东非鱼类饲料行业的现状、挑战及改进策略，重点关注肯尼亚、乌干达、坦桑尼亚和卢旺达。由于营养和经济目的对鱼类及鱼产品的需求不断增加，这些国家的水产养殖产量正稳步增长。尽管市场推动了这四个国家从粗放型养殖系统向半集约型和适度集约型养殖系统的转变，但该行业的发展仍受到阻碍，缺乏适合鱼类不同发育阶段的可持续、本地生产、高质量且具有成本效益的鱼类饲料。尽管需求明显，但由于需求飙升以及维多利亚湖、内陆水坝和水库中网箱安装增加导致跨境贸易活跃，针对鱼类饲料区域视角的全面综述却明显匮乏。本文探讨了关键挑战，如区域饲料短缺和优质饲料原料获取有限、监管障碍、质量控制措施不足、基础设施限制以及对饲料管理和配方缺乏认识和理解。为克服这些挑战，本文建议加强合作以建立强大的区域鱼类饲料供应链，投资研发举措，倡导政策改革和监管支持，并遵守东非共同体鱼类饲料质量标准。此外，迫切需要通过培训和推广服务提高人力资源能力，促进公共投资支持，加强行业机构和行业协会，为饲料供应商开展培训和提高认识计划，并改善储存设施以保持饲料质量。本文为政策制定者提供了宝贵见解，以便为有针对性的干预措施提供参考，从而推动东非鱼类饲料行业的积极变革。
