TANZANIA’S FISH EXPORTS Surged
By 40 Percent In The Past Year, Driven Primarily By Nile Perch Fillets.
Data From The Ministry Of
Livestock And Fisheries Reveals A Jump From 29,467 Metric Tonnes To 41,271
Metric Tonnes Of Fish And Fish Products Exported Between April 2023 And April 2024.
This Increase Translates
To A Rise In Export Value From $198.2 Million To $206.6 Million, With
Government Tax Revenue Also Climbing 15 Per Cent To Sh14.45 Billion.
Nile Perch Fillets Remain
The Top Export, Despite A Slight Volume Decrease (From 9,191 Metric Tonnes To
8,917 Metric Tonnes). It Still Generated The Most Income At $53 Million. The
Minister For Livestock And Fisheries Presented The Budget, Mr Abdallah Ulega,
Who Requested The Endorsement Of Sh460.3 Billion For The 2024/25 Fiscal Year On
Tuesday.
According To The
Document, The Increase In Exports Led To A Surge In The Value Of Exports From
$198.21 Million (About Sh515.35 Billion) To $206.60 Million (Equivalent To Sh537.16
Billion).
Furthermore, The Data
Shows That Generated Revenue Enabled The Government To Increase Tax Collection
From Sh12.56 Billion To Sh14.45 Billion, About 15 Percent Up.
Despite The Decline In
The Volume Of Exported Nile Perch Fillets From 9,191.14 Metric Tonnes ($61.58
Million) In April Last Year To 8,917.53 Metric Tonnes ($53.015 Million) This
Year, The Product Remains Higher In Terms Of Volume And Generated Income. Other
Types Of Fish Products That Trailed Nile Perch Fillets As Per The April 2024
Data, With Their Respective Volumes And Values In Brackets, Are Dried Fish Maws
(462.7 Tonnes—$44.13 Million), Dried Silver Fish From Lake Tanganyika (308.95
Tonnes—$10,43 Million), Dried Silverfish From Lake Victoria (7,837.8
Tonnes—$8.03 Million), And Frozen Octopus (1,059.2 Tonnes—$7.88 Million).
However, Products
That Trailed Nile Perch Fillets In The Export Of Fish And Its Products Recorded
Last Year Were Frozen Octopus (1,321.32 Metric Tonnes), Frozen H&G (901.26
Metric Tonnes), And Sea Shells And Cowries (615.5 Metric Tonnes). The Director
Of Fisheries, Prof Mohamed Sheikh, Attributed The Increase To Government
Initiatives, Including Introducing And Implementing Internal And External
Systems.
“For Instance, The
Issuance Of Permits And Licenses Is Now Done Electronically, Therefore Reducing
Shortcomings That Lead To Loss Of Revenue,” He Said Over The Phone. “We Have
Also Intensified The War Against Illegal Fishing And Smuggling Of Fish And Its
Products To Increase Industrial Raw Materials, Something That Would Lead To A
Surge In The Volume Of Exports,” Added Prof Sheikh.
He Said Strengthened
Internal Systems Led To An Increase In Revenue Collection To 64 Percent Of
Ministry Targets As Compared To 49 Percent That Was Recorded During A Similar
Period Last Year.
Prof Sheikh Unveiled The
Major Importers Of Silverfish From Lake Tanganyika And Lake Victoria As The Democratic
Republic Of The Congo (DRC), Zambia, And The US.
Furthermore, He Disclosed
That Most Of The 21 Fish Processing Factories Operating In The Country Were
Facing The Challenge Of Inadequate Supply Of Raw Materials, Principally Due To
High Domestic Consumption Of Some Species, Including The Nile Perch.
“Ongoing Strategies Aim
At Increasing Production Of Nile Perch And Protecting Breeding Habitats To
Increase The Population In A Particular Lake. Other Efforts Include
Intensifying The War Against Illegal Fishing, Which Is Anticipated To Increase
The Volume Of Raw Materials For Our Factories, Hence More Exports,” He Said.