Kampala — THE fisheries state minister, Fred Mukisa, has decried the exploitation of fish suppliers by the processors.

Mukisa said there was no set price for fish, adding that the factories do not issue delivery notes for transactions made.

He said the suppliers claim payments on a gentleman's agreement that is often abused.

"A supplier may deliver three tonnes of fish, but a factory can declare 500kg as rejects, unfit for the international market.

"This is exploitation of suppliers with a view of frustrating and kicking them out of business because there is no clear way of calculating the rejects," he said.

"Even then, the rejected fish is not returned to the suppliers" Mukisa said.

He added that often times, factories close early, forcing the suppliers to keep the fish for over 12 hours leading to some fish to go bad by the time they re-open.

The minister also said the factories were not paying the suppliers on time.

Citing the Jinja-based Marine and Agro Limited, Mukisa said some suppliers had not been paid for the last three months yet the firm was about to close.

He said he would ensure all suppliers are paid before the firm's closure.

Mukisa recently urged fishermen to pool funds and set up their own processing factories and export fish to avoid exploitation.

"You can also invest sh30m in a fish fry centre, an area that so far not been fully exploited, yet it is profitable," he added.

The Mukono resident district commissioner, David Matovu, hailed the Police and the Association of Fishers and Lake Users of Uganda, for championing good fishing practices on Lake Victoria.

He urged the community to stop illegal fishing, saying it would lead to unemployment if it continued unabated.

"Unemployment will be a recipe for youths to become thieves and robbers or be enticed to join rebel forces like Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army," Matovu warned.

Livingstone Zziwa, the Mukono district vice- chairman, called for the strengthening of Beach Management Units' operations. "All Ugandans must rise up against illegal fishing," Zziwa said.

is a major source of proteins that we all need in our diet," Zziwa said.