Gouloumbou, Oct 5 (APS) – The director general of the National Aquaculture Agency (ANA), Samba Ka, visited the aquaculture stations of Gouloumbou and Nétéboulou on Friday to inquire about the difficulties hindering the development of the sector in the Tambacounda region (east).
The first stage of this visit took place at the aquaculture station of Gouloumbou, a commune located approximately 38 kilometers from the town of Tambacounda.
Nestled on the banks of the Gambia River, the Gouloumbou aquaculture station is faced, among other things, with technical problems and a lack of broodstock.
”We visited an aquaculture station which is not at its full capacity since we have 1000 male and female spawners and the fry production is not what it should be,” noted Samba Ka.
”There are also technical problems, notably water supply problems, which mean that certain basins do not operate normally,” he added.
The DG of the ANA mentioned the cases of theft at these Gouloumbou stations and the difficult conditions of the staff.
”We also found staff working in difficult conditions. We have also been informed of cases of theft, unidentified people come and steal the fish which are put in the ponds,” he lamented.
On this point, Mr. KA invited the populations to take ownership of these aquaculture stations by protecting them against criminals.
”What we do in this station is a public good, it is where the entire region must draw fry to grow them. So, it’s a common good, we need to raise more awareness among the populations, because this shouldn’t happen,” he explained.
According to him, “if this station does not work, we will not be able to supply all the producers who will need fry to develop their activities”.
Next to the National Aquaculture Agency station, the populations of the commune of Gouloumbou, grouped into GIEs, have also developed four aquaculture ponds to develop this activity. But for three years, the basins maintained by these GIEs have stopped functioning because of financial problems, particularly an operating budget.
”We also visited an aquaculture station managed by three GIEs which is not functional. These GIEs are faced with working capital problems. We are ready to supply them free of charge with fry and sometimes with food support,” he promised the producers.
In Nétéboulou, the aquaculture sector is at a standstill
After the Gouloumbou stage, the general director of the ANA went to the Nétéboulou aquaculture farm. Built in 2022, the aquaculture station with 6 basins is located on the banks of the Gambia River, 30 kilometers from the town of Tambacounda.
”We made the same observations at the Nétéboulou farm. These are 1000 square meter ponds but which are not exploited,” he also pointed out.
”In Nétéboulou, the populations were financed for a cycle but the cycle was not completed. We created beautiful ponds and put in a few fry but the food was lacking, ultimately the producers harvested before the end of the cycle and since then the activity has been at a standstill,” he lamented. .
Despite the difficulties in the aquaculture sector observed in these places visited, the general director of ANA magnified the aquaculture potential of the Tambacounda region, believing that the sector can be a provider of jobs for the populations.
”The three farms that we have in the region have a potential of 60 tonnes per year and 60 tonnes is a minimum of 120 million per year, so it is clear that aquaculture can provide work for young people”, said he argued.
”In terms of food security, it is also an important sector because people can easily have fresh fish and all the benefits of eating fish,” he added.
Plea for strengthening the resources of the ANA
According to the DG, the objective of the State of Senegal is to develop the aquaculture sector in the Tambacounda region to establish young people at the level of their land.
“In the 2025 budget, we have provided a small envelope to finance youth projects, at least one project in each region to help fight against irregular migration which is wreaking havoc in our country,” announced Mr. Ka.
”People must stay at home and be able to work because aquaculture is indeed an essential alternative to solving the problem of irregular migration. Just for 5 pools, at least 20 young people can work there,” he argued.
The CEO of the ANA also called for strengthening the resources of the National Aquaculture Agency in order to better meet the needs of the populations in terms of investments in the sector.
”Half of our budget goes into operations, which means that in terms of investment, it’s very little, we are limited but despite everything, we try to do what we can to rehabilitate all of this, so that the stations are 100% functional and support the actors in terms of training, support and advice,” said Samba Ka.
ABD/MK/ASB
