Value chain analysis of fish in Gamo zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

This study aims to identify value-chain actors, estimating the profit share of each actor in the chain and identifying constraints and opportunities along the fish value chain. Data from 120 sampled respondents were collected through extensive personal interviews; field observation and the collected data were processed in a (SPSS) statistical package for social science. The study identified six main value-chain actors (fishermen, fishermen cooperatives, wholesalers, processors, retailers, and end-users/consumers) who were involved in value-adding, supplying, collecting and marketing, and consuming, but still there were slightly strong market linkage among actors. They lack a win-win strategy in the overall share of cost and profit. For instance, of the value-chain actors in districts, fishermen share high costs but as evident, they earn little profit. The sector faces many production constraints (lack of modern knowledge and poor harvesting and storage facilities, illegal fishing materials, weak governance, and many harvesting sites) and marketing constraints (price fluctuation, poor quality supply-insufficient value-added and seasonality of market). However, to ensure the benefit of the actors and profitability of the sector there should be a need for building good governance for better proper management of monitoring and evaluation and thereby strengthen the chain. Creating an enabling environment of postharvest handling and optimal value addition. Further, there is still a need for studying standard mesh size, weight and maturity stage of each fish species in each lake.

Land-use/land-cover changes and implications in Southern Ethiopia: evidence from remote sensing and informants

“…Besides the informants’ information, studies conducted at Lake Abaya reported that the fish resources face extinction due to the use of fertilizers and sediment eroded from the upstream areas in the catchments. For example, Kamaylo et al. (2021) , reported that the past total catch of Tilapia from 126,306 kg/year was reduced to 42,205 kg/year in 2021 in Lake Abaya, Ethiopia.…”

“…Besides the informants' information, studies conducted at Lake Abaya reported that the fish resources face extinction due to the use of fertilizers and sediment eroded from the upstream areas in the catchments. For example, Kamaylo et al (2021), reported that the past total catch of Tilapia from 126,306 kg/year was reduced to 42,205 kg/year in 2021 in Lake Abaya, Ethiopia. Similarly, Vijverberg et al (2012), reported that the fish species richness was higher in the past than their study, because of high sediment load, overfishing and degradation of habitats in Ethiopia Lakes.…”

Impacts of land-use/land-cover changes on nutrient losses in agricultural catchment, southern Ethiopia

“…For example, a study by Sime (2015) in Lake Hawassa observed that tilapia catches decreased 25-30 fish/net, but in 2015 the catch was 5 fish/net. Similarly, Kamaylo et al (2021), reported that the previous total catch of tilapia was reduced from 126,306 kg/year to 42,205 kg/year in 2021 in Lake Abaya. In addition, Vijverberg et al (2012) conveyed that the fish productivity was higher in the past than in their study, because of high sediment load, overfishing and degradation of habitats in Ethiopia Lakes.…”

Fish availability and market channel in Rajbari, Bangladesh

“…Among these, fish market and marketing system imply two-way approach where both producers and consumers are involved. Organized market system and market structure are required to make fish available to consumers at the appropriate time and in the right place ( Aura et al., 2019 ; Kamaylo et al., 2021 ). Fish marketing system is predominantly dependent on private ownership activities and operated through an interconnected process of some sequential events like fish farmers, fishermen or fish landing centers, local or village markets, township markets, gathering points, wholesale and retail markets ( DoF, 2012 ).…”

“…The fishermen and fish farmers are often bound to sell their products to the traders (Aratdar or Paikar) at a so-called price fixed by these middlemen. The fishermen and fish farmers cannot bargain against the ill price of their products set by the immediate middlemen because of their dependency on them for financial flows and illiteracy to raise voice for the proper pricing of their products ( Aswathy et al., 2014 ; Kamaylo et al., 2021 ). Consequently, the fishing communities are particularly getting dominated by the immediate intermediaries as the middlemen have developed a regulated marketing chain absorbing the marginal fishing communities by determining a restricted pricing policy through the intermediaries at different levels of the marking chain.…”