…ESWASA says certifying the Malkerns aquaculture centre and enforcing food-safety rules could help move local fish farmers from small ponds to regional and international markets.
BY: PHESHEYA KUNENE | EDITOR
MANZINI – Eswatini’s fish farmers may have a market waiting for them, but without standards, certification and reliable processing systems, that opportunity could remain trapped in the pond.
ESWASA Executive Director Ncamiso Mhlanga has urged the Ministry of Agriculture to certify the Malkerns Aquaculture Research and Production Centre, warning that Eswatini cannot build a competitive fish industry without credible standards, food-safety controls and export-ready systems.
Speaking during the Fish, Fisheries and Aquaculture workshop, Mhlanga said aquaculture was no longer a side activity for small farmers, but one of the fastest-growing food sectors globally.
For Eswatini, the issue is urgent. The country still imports most of its fish, while local fish farming remains at an early stage. Fisheries Officer Boy Mavuso said support from Taiwan helped establish the Malkerns centre, with funding growing from US$300,000, about E4.9 million, in phase one to over US$1.3 million, about E21.3 million, in phase two.
Mavuso said the investment would support fish farming, processing, equipment and feed production, all critical areas if local farmers are to meet standards and produce quality fish for bigger markets.
Mhlanga said certification would help local farmers produce fish that meets domestic, regional and international market requirements.
“These standards are not for ESWASA, they are for the country,” he said.
The workshop reviewed draft ARSO standards covering catfish farming, hygienic fish processing, farmed freshwater fish and fish-product certification. For farmers, this is not bureaucracy. It is market access.
Fish is highly perishable. Poor water quality, unsafe feed, chemical misuse, weak handling and poor cold storage can quickly turn a promising harvest into a food-safety risk.
ESWASA Standards Development Officer Milagrosa Mondlane warned that fish must be handled properly from pond to market, including hygienic packing, icing, cold storage and transport.
The opportunity is clear: local farmers can reduce imports, supply supermarkets, enter hospitality markets and eventually explore regional exports. But the constraints are equally clear: expensive feed, limited fingerlings, weak cold chains, inadequate inspection capacity and fragmented small-scale production.
Small-scale farmer Norman Sibusiso Mavuso urged producers to organise, produce in bulk and meet required standards. Dumsile Phiri, Secretary of the Eswatini Aquaculture Association, also called for stronger support to train fish farmers across the country.
The lesson from the workshop was blunt. Eswatini does not only need more ponds. It needs a fish industry, with certified centres, trained farmers, safe feed, cold storage, processing capacity and enforceable standards.
If that happens, fish farming could move from promise to profit. If it does not, Eswatini will remain a country with demand, water, farmers and ambition, but no serious place in the aquaculture market.
