The 11th National Fish Consumption Day (NFCD) will be held at Katima Mulilo, in the Zambezi Region next month.

This was announced at the launch of the event by the National Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) in Walvis Bay on Friday.

The event set to take place on 28 September is a collaboration between the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), NFCPT and stakeholders. It was initiated in 2012 to promote fish consumption at the regional level but has over the years since been rolled out in 10 host regions.

NFCPT annually raises funds for regional educational development in the host region through this initiative, by procuring school items that are needed by that region.

Speaking at the event, Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister, Derek Klazen commended the NFCPT’s efforts in demonstrating the commitment of stakeholders in the fishing industry to contribute to achieving quality education for the children.

“I would also like to commend the Trust for its efforts to establish its footprints in all parts of our country by establishing fish shops in all the regions and I am happy to announce that the Trust plans to inaugurate its newly-built fish shop in Ondangwa later this month,” he noted.

Klazen further explained that Namibia aims to achieve at least 20,4 kilograms of fish consumption per person per year, which translates to about 47 000 Metric Tons (MT) consumed within Namibia per year.

“Ultimately, we want to see at least 30 per cent of horse mackerel Total Allowance Catch or about 100 000 MT, sold locally.

This policy objective is informed by the fact that the sale of fish locally will stimulate economic activities and promote enterprise development,” he expressed.

The minister went on to say that the 100 000 MT of fish is intended to be sold by Namibians in fish shops and on the streets, in different forms such as dried, smoked, frozen and canned, which are all value-addition activities meant to create jobs for Namibians.

Zambezi Region Governor Lawrence Sampofu in his acceptance speech said the region has many schools struggling with acquiring school supplies and will therefore benefit from the funds generated from the event.

The day will include an array of activities such as school activations, school tournaments, fish sale promotions, cooking competitions, a gala dinner and market day.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency