Aquaculture offers high employment and growth potential
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) have finalised the Aquaculture Development and Enhancement Programme (ADEP) which, once implemented, will eliminate challenges experienced by the aquaculture industry in relation to access to finance and competitiveness, Fis.com reports.
The National Aquaculture Strategic Framework (NASF), developed by DAFF, has discovered that limited access to finance and competition with other countries are two of the main challenges that threaten to inhibit the growth of the sector which is still at its infancy stage in South Africa, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies said.
ADEP's objective is to encourage and elicit investment aimed to bolster job creation and increase broad participation in the sector, Davies says - adding that the programme will also encourage rural development and food security, whilst developing the sector through increased production. Davies told Fis.com that aquaculture is a value-adding sector offering relatively high employment and growth potential, both of which are high priorities of the government.
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