The Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa (AASA) said that Operation Phakisa was aimed at removing the stumbling blocks to the development of the national commercial aquaculture sector. The initiative had reportedly already started to address a number of these stumbling blocks.
According to AASA chairperson, Roger Krohn, while SA’s commercial aquaculture sector had “done well over the past year with most sectors expanding”, challenges had been the “excessive red tape” involved in operating a commercial aquaculture facility together with a lack of suitable sites in SA for developing new production facilities.
“The government’s Operation Phakisa looks set to reduce a great deal of the legislative hurdles associated with
getting started and running an aquaculture operation, and it will also unlock a number of sites that will lead to significant expansion of some sectors,” Krohn said.
Another initiative that would flow out of Operation Phakisa would be “a drive to identify and open new markets, both locally and internationally, and to encourage the local consumption of aquaculture products”, according to Krohn.
