Fish Feed Shortage Threatens Uganda’s Aquaculture Boom Despite New Catfish Plant

The opening of a multimillion-shilling catfish processing factory in Mpigi District has been hailed as a breakthrough for Uganda’s aquaculture sector—but industry players warn that without urgent government action on fish feeds, the dream of large-scale fish farming could stall.

Masheda Foods on Friday unveiled a 25-acre state-of-the-art processing facility in Buyala, positioning Uganda to supply catfish to international markets including the UK, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The launch drew government officials, farmers, and private sector leaders, all of whom celebrated the investment as a landmark in value addition. Yet beneath the excitement, the challenge of affordable, quality fish feeds remained the elephant in the room.

Masheda Foods Managing Director Marvin Lwasa admitted that while the factory guarantees a steady market, farmers are still crippled by the cost and scarcity of feeds.

“The launch is significant, but the real issue holding back aquaculture is feeds. Farmers back out of the business because they don’t see income when selling raw fish, yet even those who try face expensive imported feeds that don’t meet local conditions,” he said.

“If government helps us put up a factory for affordable, quality fish feeds, we will have thousands more farmers joining the industry and creating jobs.”

Imported feeds, largely from Egypt and the Netherlands, are not only expensive but also unsuited to Uganda’s climate. “These feeds are manufactured under different weather conditions. When we use them here, the results fall short, yet they are very expensive. Without good feeds, catfish eat each other,” Lwasa added.

The warning was echoed by Jonnathan Kiiza Ddembe, Chairman of the Uganda Catfish Farmer Federation, who said feed costs are the single biggest constraint. “You can make the ponds and buy fingerlings, but feeding is the killer. Catfish eat every day, and if you don’t feed them, they eat themselves. Imported feeds are beyond our means. If government puts up a feed factory, fish farming will explode,” he noted.

Despite the concerns, the new facility was welcomed as an important step in the country’s industrialisation journey. Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Ramathan Ggoobi, who officiated at the launch, hailed Masheda as an example of how Ugandans can drive transformation through value addition.

“Government’s target is to make Uganda a $500 billion economy in 15 years. Masheda represents the future—where Ugandans add value to what we produce. For the first time, we are seeing Ugandan catfish processed and exported to the UK and the region,” Ggoobi said.

“If we had more investors like Masheda across the country, we would achieve faster economic multiplication.”

Factory proprietor Esther Ann Ampumuza said the project was driven by a desire to create jobs, fight malnutrition, and provide farmers with reliable markets.

“Catfish is healthy, rich in protein and low in cholesterol. This factory is a bridge from the pond to dining tables in Kampala, Nairobi, Kinshasa and London. Our farmers, women and youth will always have a ready market for their hard work,” she explained.

Masheda, through its Kembogo Aquaculture Park and Nkore Designs initiative, has already trained over 300 youths and empowered women with alternative livelihoods.

But sector leaders insist that without a dedicated local feed plant, the industry’s expansion will be capped.

With aquaculture already highlighted under Uganda’s Agro-Industrialization Strategy as a high-growth sector, stakeholders argue that solving the feed bottleneck could unlock massive potential—making catfish and tilapia farming a cornerstone of export earnings, rural employment, and food security.