Catfish farming is a lucrative business venture but like every other business is faced with some challenges in catfish farming and this has discouraged people from investing and even others doing the business to shut down farm operations. In every challenge lies opportunities in which people can harness and proffer solutions.
We are highlighting the common challenges faced in the catfish farming business and ways some of these challenges can be mitigated.
Some of the challenges include high material costs, epileptic power supply, bad road networks, and sources of funding for expansion
10 common challenges faced by catfish farmers
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Unavailability of farm space
Getting access to farmland has been a major challenge for most farmers, some of the farmland a far from the market thereby making the sales process difficult. The high cost of getting farm space closer to the cities, these have discouraged most farmers that want to run a large-scale production. For a large capacity production, a bigger farm space is required which will give room for expansion. To mitigate these, farmers should learn to utilize their space properly. A good farm design can help manage the space available.
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Poor Power Supply
Catfish farm requires a steady power supply to carry out various activities which include pumping of water and feed production. The current state of power supply is not encouraging for most farms and has forced the farmers to seek an alternative source for power generation which is highly expensive for the farms (cost of getting generators set up that would power the farm equipment, the cost of diesel and also maintenance) all these increases the production cost of the farm. It’s advisable to locate your farm within areas that have improved power supply, also the use of solar systems is also a better alternative due to it being environmentally friendly.
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Insecurity
The high rate of theft of farm produces and equipment has left many farmers stranded. Also issues like kidnapping, army robbers and banditry has risen over time thereby making some of the farms inaccessible. With a proper security system in place, it could help curb some of these issues. Most farms employ the services of security personnel and the use of CCTV cameras can also serve to mitigate security challenges.
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Bad Road Network
Most farms are cited in rural areas due to the lack of available farm space on the urban axis and this area has poor road networks, which pose a great challenge in catfish farming, so making it very difficult to access. Movement of materials to the farm will also be hindered.
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Mortality
Mortality is one of the very many challenges in catfish farming. Disease outbreak that can make fish farmers lose some of their fish during each farming cycle. High mortality rate can occur due to Infection. This infection can come from the type of feed used, it can also happen if the broodstock is not matured when it is spawned hence, the eggs may be problematic and the fingerlings will not grow properly and soon die off. It can also be because of a lack of proper farm management practices. To reduce the mortality rate on the farm, adherence to best farm management practices should be ensured. Always buy quality feed from reputable sources and get your fingerlings from reputable sources or you can breed and grow your own brood stock for the hatchery.
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Polluted Water Source
Most farms rely on rivers/ streams as their source of water. This water is mostly polluted due to discharge into the water bodies that are harmful to the fish and also anthropogenic activities affect the water quality. Water tests should be carried out before citing a farm in a location and also routine checks should be carried out to ensure all parameters are still at their permissible limits.
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High Cost of Feed
A major issue in catfish farming is the feed price, especially catfish feed for fish fries to juveniles which is mostly imported, and due to government policies and fluctuating exchange rates, the price keeps increasing daily. Another major challenge the catfish feed is the quality. Since the cost to feed materials has increased, some of the manufacturers reduce the quality of the ingredients used. Most farmers are now going into feed production to reduce the cost of buying feed and also be sure of the quality of feed they are using,
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Staffing (Farmworkers)
Most farm workers lack the technical know-how to manage a farm properly while others lack passion for the job and honesty. A bad staff can frustrate the business. Ensured proper screening is done when hiring staff at the farm and they should undergo training to be armed with the relevant knowledge needed to properly manage the farm. You can sign up for our training program by sending a message.
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Sales/Marketing
Selling your fish can be a problem because sometimes the prices are not stable and the buyers can be insistent on their own pricing which may not be profitable for you. A proper market survey should be done to understand the sizes the buyers want so you don’t end up producing and buyers are not available to buy.
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Transporting/ Handling
Moving catfish from one location to another is a major issue. Most farmers have bought fish and when it got to them, they were all dead. This brings issues between the seller and the buyers. It’s advisable to get fish from farmers closer to your facility or use a person that has proper handling means of transporting the catfish
Learn more about the catfish farm operation by downloading the Ebook on the guide to starting a successful catfish farm using this link. Get our Automated farm record sheet
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