Fish farming is a noble profession

Abengourou – In the morning, every time he arrives on the farm to feed his fish, Adjéhi Koffi is happy.

“Being here with my fish, seeing them grow, and getting results: that’s my passion,” Koffi says on this open expanse hidden among lush tropical vegetation close to the city of Abengourou in southeastern Côte d’Ivoire.

Pointing at the dam that separates his fishponds from the artificial lake behind them, he recounts how it all began in 2003. “We dug out the earth by hand, using a tractor to raise the dam. It took two years to build.”

Now, the land where his grandparents started farming decades ago, has become a flourishing fish farm. The lake ensures a continuous flow of water to the ponds, 13 altogether, allowing Koffi to harvest an average of 10 tonnes of fish per year.

He still grows cash crops like his grandparents did. Coffee and cocoa, as well as palm oil and rice. But aquaculture has become his main activity. At 68 years old, Koffi is looking forward. He wants to expand his farm and increase production three-fold. “It can be done,” he says. “All I need is the money.”

Feed, fingerlings…

Fish is the main source of protein for Côte d’Ivoire’s growing population, according to Nicole Nezzi, Director of Aquaculture at the Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources (MIRAH). But to satisfy demand - 730 000 tonnes in 2023 - the country relies heavily on imports. Domestic fish production of about 90 000 tonnes, including 10 000 tonnes from aquaculture, is dwarfed by imports of 700 000 tonnes per year.

“Côte d’Ivoire spends around 500 billion FCFA (nearly USD 850 million) on fish imports per year. This money could also be invested in local production,” she says, explaining why the country wants to boost fish production and achieve food sovereignty by 2031.

FISH4ACP, a global fish value chain development programme led by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), is helping to achieve this goal by concentrating on tilapia, the main fish species farmed in Côte d’Ivoire.

Implemented by FAO with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the initiative works to tackle some of the principal challenges facing tilapia production today.

“First, you have the price of feed, which makes up about 70 percent of production costs,” says Foungnigue Traoré, FISH4ACP National Professional Officer for Côte d’Ivoire. “You also have the lack of availability of quality inputs, such as fingerlings. And then you have the difficulties our fish farmers face to access finance.”

Hundreds of stakeholders are being trained to transform Côte d’Ivoire’s tilapia value chain, she explains. Ten pilot farms are undergoing rehabilitation, while the farmers learn about good aquaculture practices and business management to become models for other fish farmers. “We are promoting a new generation of fish farmers,” Foungnigue Traoré says, adding that an estimated 3 000 new farmers will need to be attracted to fish farming to realize the government’s agenda.

In addition, FISH4ACP provides training and state-of-the art equipment to the fisheries and aquaculture station of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Centre for Agricultural Research (CNRA), enabling it to make more and better fry available to hatcheries.

…and finance

Around noon, Koffi is at the hatchery of Amoikon Eponon, his main supplier of fingerlings. They discuss their plans with Gisèle Yagba from the Union Nationale des Coopératives d’Epargne et de Crédit de Côte d’Ivoire (UNACOOPEC), one of the three financial institutions supported by FISH4ACP to improve farmers’ access to finance.

Eponon wants to triple his production of fingerlings to 360 000 per month. “Everything will need to be renovated,” he says. An investment of around 50 million FCFA, or USD 85 000, would be required for new ponds and another lake, but also to upgrade the electrical system and replace his logbooks with a computer to do the administration.

“Fish farming is not easy”, says Gisèle Yagba. Banks perceive it as a high-risk sector, and they are not convinced that farmers have enough guarantees to pay them back.

A lot has to do with a lack of understanding, Gisèle explains. This is not the case with her, because she visits farms and has a degree in agriculture. She has worked with Eponon for two years now and knows that he runs a serious business.

“But if you say to others that there are fish here, they’ll tell you they don’t see anything.”

This is where FISH4ACP comes in, says Foungnigue: “We train financial institutions on what fish farming is.” At the same time, FISH4ACP works through fish farmer cooperatives to help their members, the individual farmers, better understand the needs of financial institutions and increase their chances of getting a loan.

Great things

By the end of the afternoon, Koffi is back at his farm. Overlooking the lake from the top of the dam, he recalls that it took the tractor 960 rides to raise it. “This is a noble profession,” he says. “It enables you to do great things.”

He is aware of the country’s ambition to increase fish production and is ready to do his part. To triple production, he intends to install fixed cages in the ponds and lay floating cages in the lake. The investment needed may be greater than the funding for Eponon’s expansion plan, but Koffi is confident that it will pay off.

He recognizes the steps UNACOOPEC is taking to understand fish farmers’ needs. “This is what people should do,” he says in the fading light of the sun that is slowly disappearing behind the tropical canopy. “Come down here and see the reality. Then they will understand.”