The DINU Northern Uganda coordinator, Dr Alfred Komakech, said they were taking stock of active fish farmers in the district and identifying the challenges they are faced with in a bid to give assistance in terms of technical advice and inputs. According to recent Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) data Uganda produces up to 15,000 tonnes of fish from aquaculture. There are an estimated 20,000 ponds throughout the country with an average surface area of 500 metre square per pond.

Production ranges between 1,500 kg per hectare per year for subsistence farmers to 15,000 kg per hectare per year for emerging commercial fish farmers. But aquaculture faces several challenges, mainly disease outbreaks, poor quality brood stock of fingerlings, poor quality feeds and water quality management which needs to be addressed.

Merecelino Onencan started his farm in early 1970s but was forced to halt operations due to the insurgency in Northern Uganda. He revived it in 2004 as Kukure Integrated Fish farm. But the Naro scientists say the few catfish and tilapia fingerlings in his four ponds are too old to yield much, being from a brood stock of 2014.

They intend to help Onencan revamp the business by providing new brood stock, a good water pumping system to enable enough oxygen for the fish as well as quality feed. His hatchery will also be refurbished. Howard Kasigwa, a fish breeder, notes that the Naro intervention comes in handy because fish farmers like Onencan lack knowledge of good pond management and access to quality fingerlings.