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| Sato |
True, high nutritious fishes were used
to be great incentive to many people travelling to the Lake Zone, the rocky
city of Mwanza in particular.
But, that incentive has long
gone, with fishes, particularly Tilapia, becoming luxurious goods here.
“I
can’t remember for sure the last time I tasted Tilapia…the fish has become too
expensive for the low income earners to afford,” says Jesca Mabura, of Mabatini
suburb.
She recalls those good days when, with only 500/-, she could buy
sufficient fishes for a day’s two meals in her family of six people.
“But, today I need not less than 6,000/- to get same amount of fishes,
especially Tilapia,” she laments. Majority residents here perceive fishes as
the preserve of the elite few, with spare income to spend on luxurious goods.
“I think this (fish scarcity) is one of the adverse effects of
development,” says Matiko Mwita, a fish dealer, charging that good road network
countrywide has facilitated easy transport of fishes to all corners of the
country.
“Fresh fishes from here are sold in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mbeya,
Dodoma and other parts of the country because of reliable air and road
transport,” says Mr Mwita, adding that the industries that process fishes for
export also exacerbate the problem.
Rising fish prices have created good grounds for booming meat and
sardine businesses, which serve majority residents of the lakeside city.
“A kilogramme of meat goes for 4,500/-, far cheaper than fish,” says
Jasmin Masanja, a house girl met at Mabatini market.
Fish prices in Bunda town,
where the inhabitants say fishes used to be given almost for free, have also
escalated, at least by the residents’ perception.
Source: The Daily News,http://www.dailynews.co.tz, reported by Masato Masato
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