THE Food Federation and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe (FFAWUZ) has bemoaned the local market's failure to supply 41 600 tonnes of fish required by the local market annually amid calls for encouraging investments in the sector to bolster economic growth.
Addressing delegates at the just-ended Seafood Workers Division Conference held in the Nordic Island nation of Iceland, FFAWUZ secretary general Runesu Dzimiri said the Southern African nation is beset with a huge market potential for fish.
"According to official statistics, Zimbabwe's fish output averages 18,400 tonnes every year against a total annual demand of 60,000 tonnes thereby creating a total deficit of 41 600 tonnes which are partly met through imports.
"In 2021 alone the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade reported that Zimbabwe imported meat, fish and seafood preparations valued at US$2, 62 million," he said.
He said the biggest fish processing company in Zimbabwe is Lake Harvest established in 1997 to produce high-quality tilapia for the European and Southern African markets and since then, has arguably the largest integrated tilapia operation in Africa.
The veteran food sector trade unionist said processing of fish involves bleeding, descaling, heading, gutting, filleting and packing. Fillets from the factory are exported mainly to the European markets while the whole bream and by-products are sold in Zimbabwe and regional markets.
He said the unsold by-products are fed to crocodiles and also made into fish sssss for animal feeds amid calls for investments into the sector.
"As a union, we call for investments into the sector because this has the potential to create more jobs in the sector which is much healthier for our membership. There is also a need for partnerships with the Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector who are beginning to crop up in the fish industry," he said.
He also bemoaned current poor remuneration, sexual harassment and inadequate protective clothing for the workers operating in the local fish industry.
