A new aquaculture center in Eswatini opened its doors on February 28, 2025 through the support of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF). The opening ceremony was jointly presided over by Taiwan’s Ambassador to Eswatini, Jeremy H. S. Liang, and Eswatini’s Minister of Agriculture, Mandla Chauke. The event was also attended by Eswatini’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sydney Simelane, along with officials from the ministry, and beneficiaries of the TaiwanICDF’s Eswatini Aquaculture Project.

During his speech, Amb. Liang emphasized that Eswatini, as a landlocked country in southern Africa, relies on imports from neighboring nations for nearly 90% of its seafood consumption. The local aquaculture industry has also faced challenges such as unstable fingerling supply, the high cost of imported fish feed, and limited technical training. Liang expressed hope that the newly established Aquaculture Center could help overcome these challenges by stabilizing local fish seedling production and supporting the development of valuable fish and shellfish species. Through the project, the Taiwan Technical Mission aimed to help Eswatini transition from small-scale, household-based aquaculture to a more commercialized industry model. Minister Mandla Chauke echoed these sentiments, highlighting the center’s critical role in ensuring a steady supply of fish fry to meet national demand.

Project manager Andrés Su provided an overview of the center. He explained that as of the end of 2024, there were approximately 120 aquaculture farmers across Eswatini, with over 60 already receiving technical assistance and fingerling supply from the project. Starting this year, the project has fully transitioned to cultivating Nile tilapia, a fast-growing species introduced from Taiwan that can reproduce twice a year. This shift has resulted in a 4.5-fold increase in production capacity compared to the previous Mozambique tilapia species and an eightfold increase compared to production levels before project intervention.

TaiwanICDF Deputy Secretary General Hsieh Pei-Fen echoed Amb. Liang’s statement that the project’s primary objective was to help transform aquaculture in Eswatini into a large-scale commercial industry. She further stated that the newly established center will continue to support the development of fish, shrimp, and shellfish aquaculture, even after the project concludes at the end of this year. Through bilateral technical cooperation, the TaiwanICDF aims to significantly reduce Eswatini’s reliance on imported seafood while enabling local aquaculture farmers to supply high-quality seafood products nationwide, ultimately enhancing the availability of protein sources for the people of Eswatini.

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• 更新日期: 2025/03/07
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