Nile perch fillet exporters headed for a tough year

“Business has been tough in that stocks are difficult to come by and prices have also not been encouraging. The end markets in Europe have been enticing in terms of price rewards and some people have even resorted to pushing sales locally instead of sending them abroad on basis of economies of scale,” James Owiti, a Kisumu-based Nile Perch dealer, said.

For instance in 2008, shipments to the main EU declined by 10,000 tonnes, and further reduction was witnessed over 2009 even though the figures are yet to be tallied.

Prices of Nile Perch in key international markets have also been on a free-fall as the competition of cheap pangasius is felt.

Bleak environment

In the wake of such bleak environment, experts recommend for enhanced value addition to products, through certification schemes, to make them more competitive.

Nile Perch dealers on Lake Victoria have already taken up aggressive certification through various schemes such as Naturland, a German eco-certifier.

The certification covers about eight landing sites in the western region of Lake Victoria and involves about 1,000 fishermen, in Bukoba, Tanzania.

Under the plan products will be both frozen and chilled fillets and initially in German-speaking countries.