Kampala — Fish farmers have called upon the Government to incorporate aquaculture into the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme.

They claimed Naads officials were sidelining them in favour of livestock and poultry farmers when they are selecting enterprises to support at sub-county level. "Fish farming is an expensive enterprise, but profitable. "However, small-scale farmers cannot afford it because they don't have enough money.

"This is affecting output," James Tinkamanyire, the chairman of the Uganda Fish Farmers Cooperative Union, said. Tankamanyire added that aquaculture was being suffocated and urged the Government to support it as it does with other agriculture sub-sectors.

Tinkamanyire was speaking at a two-day sector review workshop organised by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute at Kumi Hotel recently. The farmers also expressed concern over low supply of quality fish feeds, saying the available feeds were too expensive and of poor quality.

They also decried the lack of credit facilities to boost their businesses. Dr. John Balirwa, the NAFFIRI director, revealed that National Agricultural Research Organisation would start providing agriculture technology advisory and agri-business services to fish farmers.