Aquaculture production and potential for food safety hazards in sub-Saharan Africa: with special reference to Malawi

Aquaculture in Africa accounts for less than 2% of total domestic fish production. Although its contribution has expanded significantly from 59000 Mt in 1985 to 85000 Mt in 1990, the estimated potential is 3.5 million Mt per year. Of the 20 major species cultured, only Nile tilapia, African catfish and common carp are farmed throughout Africa. The leading fish culture producers, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia, accounted for more than 95% of production in 1990. Production has remained static in many countries (e.g. Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria) and has decreased in others (e.g. Madagascar, Uganda). The potential for aquaculture in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is 250000 t year-1 (present production is 5000 t year-1). Extensive, small-scale fish farming has expanded in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, where there are some 25000 fish ponds. Fish farming has virtually ceased in Angola and is negligible in other SADC countries. In South Africa, production increased 663% between 1982 and 1992, the fastest growth in the world. Aquaculture development in South Africa has been market driven, dominated by large-scale producers and no small-scale operators. Potential health hazards from aquaculture products arise from either contaminants that find their way into the fish during the process of farming (feed additives, drugs) or loss of quality due to poor handling and processing. Poor handling is the greatest potential food safety issue in sub-Saharan Africa, because much of aquaculture production is undertaken by small-scale farmers who grow and handle relatively small quantities. About 90% of the fish from capture fisheries in Africa is preserved by means of smoking or roasting (40%) and sun drying (50%). However, the bulk of fish from small-scale rural aquaculture is sold fresh, whole and ungutted at the pond site. Although the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission make provisions for regulating standards, there are no functional mechanisms to monitor and enforce standards in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (probably with the exception of South Africa). There is a need to define 'reasonable' critical control points that can easily be achieved by many aquaculture operators in the region. Information flow from producers to consumers and documentation of food safety hazards must also be established, and functional at national and regional level.