Inland small-pelagic fisheries utilization options, marketing and opportunities for support
This report provides preliminary information on the processing options for Muziri and Ragoge, their nutritional information and the market potential of selected products within the East African region. It also highlights the vitality of the identified and up-graded potential processors already involved in processing of inland small-sized pelagic but hindered from participating in the regional trade by a few technological, financial and knowledge related setbacks. It was noted that once the setbacks were lifted through well thought-out programmes, processors easily realized their potential and moved on to greater heights in their respective businesses.
This is a lesson to other development partners to emulate because on several occasions finances have been released fisher communities without prior identification of potential and promising individuals or groups and the results have been disastrous. In most cases, expensive technologies have been abandoned at landing sites or misused because the target group did not “own” the project and so have ended up with white elephants. Finally, the report also underscores the opportunities available in the East, Central and Southern African region for the various value-added products from Uganda.
It has been considered that cross-border trade in inland small-sized pelagics within the African region was minimal and in most cases it was conducted clandestinely. One of the reasons advanced for its invisibility was lack of information on the available opportunities within the region. The purpose of the study was therefore to generate information to enhance cross-border trade in inland small pelagics by using a relatively unknown fishery as a test case. To this end, products from Brycinus nurse (Ragoge or Ragogi) and Neobola bredoi (Muziri) were uses as they are relatively unknown entities compared to sun-dried Mukene/Dagaa/ Omena (Rastrineobola argentea). To affirm the obscurity of the fishery, Muziri from L. Albert was being traded as Mukene from L. Victoria despite its small size and Ragoge on the hand, ended up in animal feed production mills as unknown entity.
Apart from the scanty eco-biological information, virtually nothing on processing, chemical composition and trade was known or documented on Ragoge and Muziri. For competitive participation in the regional or international fish trade compliance to basic quality standards is mandatory. For example, some standards on product labelling require technical nutritional information prior to their formulation. Generation of relevant information on both species would therefore enhance their position in the regional cross-border trade. Accordingly, nutritional information was generated and availed to potential suppliers of products made from the two species. To initiate the entry of Ragoge and Muziri-based products into the regional trade, samples were taken to a few commercial centres known for Mukene trade and tested for acceptability. It was also envisaged that once the trade gathered pace, demand would inevitably outstrip supply hence the need to strengthen potential processors in Uganda who were hampered by production bottle-necks. Under SMARTFISH funding identified the bottle-necks were identified, rectified and then up-graded to a level that would enable them to supply the required quantities to regional markets.