Until recently, the demand and supply of fish and fish products in Zimbabwe was dominated by locally produced fish from the capture fisheries of Lake Kariba and to a lesser extent, from the small reservoir fishery and aquaculture sector. Over the last year, there have been a number of changes in the industry largely as a result of increasing quantities of imported fish from Namibia and South Africa. Further imports are expected once the fishery of Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique is commercially exploited for kapenta.
In recognition of the need to document these changes and to determine the likely impact on national production, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife requested the FAO-executed Aquaculture for Local Community Development Programme (ALCOM) funded by Sweden and Belgium and the Zambia/Zimbabwe SADC Fisheries Project, to undertake a national fish marketing study. The study was carried out during October and November 1994.
The marketing study aimed to determine the following:
Quantitatively estimate current and projected demand for imported and locally produced fish and fish products;
determine consumer preferences amongst high, medium and low income groups;
identify substitutes for fish and fish products
identify the main variables affecting market segmentation
analyze recent trends in demand and supply of fish and fish products
estimate the effects of imported fish and fish products on demand, supply and price
determine the main distribution channels, costs and margins for imported and local fish and;
discuss the implications of the results of the study for the future development of capture and inland fisheries in Zimbabwe.
The detailed Terms of Reference of the study are contained in Appendix 1.
