Comprehensive mapping of fish trade corridors in the five regions of AFRICA:Focusing Eastern African corridor: Mombasa to Goma, passing through Kenya,Uganda,Burundi, Rwanda and democraris republic of congo, and the horn of Africa.

Abstract

This report is a review of the fish trade in the identified Eastern Africa trade corridor Mombasa to Goma, passing through Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. However due to the trade overflows in other countries of the region, it was agreed through an expert consultative meeting organized by the AU-IBAR to expand the study to cover Tanzania, Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia. This region has a population of over 421 million (FAO, 2016a) peoples with fish production of about 1.3 million tons in 2016 from capture fisheries, which was a drop from 2014 production of 1.4 million tons. Aquaculture production grew rapidly over a period of 7 years from 117645 MT in 2010 to about 193764 MT in 2016, up by over 60% during the period. Even though aquaculture is practised in the region, it is mainly small-scale enterprises. Uganda has the highest aquaculture production, contributing about 61% of the total aquaculture production in Eastern Trade corridor of Africa. Kenya’s production has steadily increased since 2010 following the Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) initiative that targeted aquaculture production. In 2016, Aquaculture in Kenya contributed 14, 952 Metric tonnes (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, 2016). Freshwater fish like tilapia, Nile perch, carps (Cyprinid) and catfish are the main species harvested, contributing more than 72% of total harvests. (FAO, 2013) The bulk of the fish produced in these countries is traded on domestic and regional markets, mainly informally. There is however, a vibrant international export trade comprising mainly of the Nile perch from Lake Victoria by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The domestic markets in the region are dominated by freshwater species, which include tilapia, catfish, Nile perch and also small pelagic freshwater sardine locally known as omena In Kenya, mukene in Uganda and dagaa in Tanzania. Domestic markets in Somalia and Djibouti are however dominated by marine fish species. Regional trade is mainly conducted informally by small scale and traditional traders across the borders and bulk of this trade is unrecorded, thus many consider it is as illegal trade; the products traded in this market mainly are dried, salted and smoked products with limited amount of fresh fish and second grade frozen fish. Uganda is the main fish supplier to the regional markets. Informal trade including cross-border trade represents a significant proportion of regional intra trade in Africa, sometimes with informal flows exceeding the formal trade flows. There is need therefore the need for the countries to pay more attention to this sector with a view of enhancing data and information collection and endeavouring to remove the impediments that encourage informal trade. The intra-regional fish trade though very important is thus not very well understood with respect to its comprehensive economic value of fish market chains; supply and demand trends for specific species, products and markets; main operators and their relationship along the market chains; policy and regulatory constraints and incentives; capacity development needs among SMEs; factors affecting theparticipation by women and the poor; and how to improve market participants’ access to technologies and information to better enable them to respond to dynamic demand and market conditions. The key to achieving profitability, wealth generation and welfare is ensuring access to markets by fish-dependent communities. However, many fishers and fish farmers in Africa face numerous challenges to accessing markets. The sustainability of fisheries and the benefits accruing to communities may be undermined unless information, policy and regulatory frameworks are properly developed and positioned to properly guide trade. The AU has made concerted effort to promote trade as a means of addressing food security and economic growth in the continent by various policy guideline initiatives, such as the development of Policy Framework & Reform Strategy for Fisheries & Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS) to optimize trade benefits among others. The current study will thus help in the understanding the intra- regional trade flows, the trade products, the key players and the challenges, with a view to facilitating trade create sustainable entrepreneurship that will contribute to food security and economic development of the countries along these countries.