Fish from Kenyan ponds can now access the European market after the government reached an agreement with the European Union.

Siaya director of fisheries, David Mboya, is now challenging the youth to venture into aquaculture to take advantage of the newfound overseas market to improve their livelihood.

Speaking during the Siaya County fish farmers’ linkage forum held at Simenya in Ugunja subcounty, the director said that the new agreement includes tilapia as one of the products to be exported.

“Our farmed fish can now access markets in Europe. Remember that earlier, it was only Nile perch from Lake Victoria that was exported, but under this agreement, our tilapia from the fish ponds will also be exported,” he said.

Mboya called on Siaya residents to take advantage of the new export market by ensuring the production of quality fish to satisfy both local and export demands.

He hailed the state department of fisheries and the Kenya fisheries service and other players for fighting hard to get the market, adding that the onus was now on fish farmers and aquaculture players to ensure quality fish was available for the market.

Youth exploring farming

Speaking during the occasion, Youth in Sustainable Agriculture (YISA) coordinator Lucas Abila and the deputy programme manager for Farm Africa, Evans Okach called on young Kenyans to venture into fish farming which was fast-growing.

Abila said YISA was committed to supporting the youth venture in agribusiness as a way of increasing production and income at the household level.

“We are targeting to create 150,000 jobs in six counties, Siaya included, and the targeted number will be young women,” he said.

He said that the young women are expected to play a key role in supporting the aquaculture value chain as traders and owners of the value chain aggregation centres.

The host of the forum organised by the Youth In Sustainable Agriculture (YISA), Samuel Odhiambo Mudhune, called on the youth not to shy away from agriculture, adding that the sector, like others, was critical in the country’s development.

“Food production is one of the most important sectors of the economy. Try it and you will not regret,” said Mudhune adding that as a youth, he can testify that the sector was fulfilling.

Fish export

This comes after Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) revealed that Kenya’s fish export earnings dropped to Ksh 5.97 billion in 2024, marking the first decline in four years, attributed to challenges such as overfishing, illegal fishing and pollution.

CBK data showed that the value of fish exports fell by 12.07 per cent from Ksh 6.67 billion in 2023, amounting to Ksh 805.29 million, which was the first significant drop since 2020 when earnings fell by Ksh 681.61 million.