Yalelo Limited (Yalelo) has recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese company Famsun Co. Ltd. (Famsun), to build a USD 6 million aquafeed mill in Siavonga, south of Zambia.
The new aquafeed mill will count with an initial process capacity of 25,000 tons per annum (TPA) and a modular design that will allow it to easily expand its capacity up to 50,000 TPA.
These capacities are expected to cover Yalelo’s own feed requirements and those from the growing Zambian aquaculture sector which is currently producing over 10,000 tons of fish a year and is expected to reach the 28,500 tons in the next five years according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
The aquafeed is expected to start operations in late 2016 since the equipment, an extruder with process capacity of 7.5 tons per hour necessary to start the aquafeed, will be received in the first quarter next year.
Yalelo’s Chairman, Mr. Taylor, explained that a reliable supply in the aquaculture sector in Zambia is necessary for a sustainable growth, therefore with the new technologies to be used in the aquafeed mill, it is expected to produce the highest quality floating aquafeed in Africa benefiting farmers and final consumers.
The aquaculture sector in Zambia has grown in the last 20 years from merely above 1,000 tons per year, to over 10,000 tons, it currently represents 2.26% of the agricultural GDP in the country and employing more than 300,000 people according to FAO.
