Inland Freshwater fish farming is now booming in the Highlands region with more farmers switching from piggery and poultry to freshwater fish farming.
Fish farmer and Owner of Tower Fish Hatchery, Mr. Jacob Towa talked about it in an interview with PNG HAUSBUNG, where he said the number of Fresh water fish farms have grown over the years.
Mr. Towa said there are about 600 freshwater fish farms all across the Highlands Region, with seven hatcheries currently operating and supplying fingerlings to these farms.
“I started fish farming in 2019 and over the years I have grown, and with my hatchery business now, I am supplying fingerlings as well as providing technical support and fish farming training to individuals across Highlands Region, West Sepik and even in Wewak.”
“People in the highlands have come to realize that fish is 81% good protein, a healthier choice of protein than pig or chicken, thus, demand for fish is high with one in every 5 households consuming freshwater fish for dinner.”
This boom in fish farming should be an opportunity now for the young people as well to get into the business, a worthwhile investment.
Mr. Towa highlighted that many youths have land back at their villages but are wasting away their prime time by becoming vagrants and opportunists in towns and cities, stating that these youths need to do critical assessment of their lives and decide what is the right thing to do.
“Money is in the soils of this earth, if you sweat, if you go back to agriculture and turn your land into money making place then you put value to your life”, said Towa.
“I want to encourage all youths who have land and do not know what to do on it, as well as those youths who are interested to fish farming to reach out to me, message me on Facebook. Towa Fish Breeding is my profile; I am willing to assist in the technical side of freshwater fish farming.”
Mr. Towa further stated that he can provide technical support and training on how to make fishponds, inlet, outlet, how to feed and grow the fish.
“After I help you set up your fishpond, then you can purchase fingerlings from my hatchery, I can offer you discount from 50t to 30t each fingerling so you can go and start your own inland freshwater fish farming business.”
Mr. Towa assured youths and interested individuals that in one year of fish farming, one farmer can make over K10,000.
“Let’s take back our land, let the land give us money and food. Getting back to agriculture is the basis of food security as well as economic freedom,” he said.
