Agriculture expert, Tamani Nkhono Mvula has called on government to consider reducing VAT on imported fish feeds if Malawi is to see growth in aquaculture.

Nkhono Mvula made the comment following the launch of the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network(AWFISHNET) Malawi Chapter on 28 February.

According to Mvula the network will bring together women who have an interest in fish farming to participate in the fish value chain.

“It’s a way to go because the involvement of women in this sector has not been very much promoted, most of the women groups are in Village Savings and Loans and horticulture,” Mvula said.

He nonetheless expressed concern with the level of investment in aquaculture saying it is very low.

“There is potential in aquaculture but when you look at the national budget you will not see much of aquaculture being mentioned,” Mvula said.

“If you look at the promotion of aquaculture in terms of investment in extension services and other value chain promotion initiatives there are not there, we have been having challenges of the fish disease that affected mainly aquaculture but, if you look at the kind of interventions that were put forward they have not been very much effective as to make sure that aquaculture grows.”