African sushi: Mountainous fish farm links Lesotho with Japanese chefs
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A company in Lesotho is exporting 85% of its total trout catch to Japan
The fish are reared in a dam 2,200m above sea level in the Maluti Mountains
Creating Lesotho's first fishery has presented challenges
The company expects to grow its production by 750 tonnes per year
CNN Marketplace Africa covers the macro trends impacting the region and also focuses on the continent's key industries and corporations.
(CNN) -- The flashing neon advertising signs and crowded crosswalks of Tokyo may not resemble the slow suburban settlement of Maseru -- the capital of the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa. But the two countries are now being linked by an unlikely dish: trout.
Thanks to Highlands Trout, and their operation 2,200m above sea level in the Maluti Mountains, supermarket shoppers in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo can now get their seafood fix from the landlocked African nation.
"Lesotho provide(s) ideal, pristine environmental conditions for the farming of large trout," explains Fred Formanek, managing partner of Advance Africa Management Services, who has developed the Highlands Trout project since 2009. "Water temperatures are close to ideal [for trout] for most of the year due to the altitude."
Production started in 2012 with a haul of 500 tonnes of trout in the first year. During the current financial year, the company aims to produce three-times that amount.
While the business says the Japan-bound fish are stuck on a ship for four weeks, executives insist the added logistics -- and extra costs -- are worth it. "The price premium that we currently receive... makes up for any additional logistics costs," says Formanek.
Business beginnings
The production process starts with the fish arriving in Lesotho from Denmark as eggs. They are then stored in temperature-controlled pens until they become "fingerlings" weighing around 10g. The baby fish are so fragile at this stage that the water quality is monitored regularly.
Herders of 'The Kingdom in the Sky'
Once they become fingerlings, the fish are transferred to small nursery cages in the Katse dam -- Africa's second largest. In these more natural conditions, the fish grow to around 20cm in length and a weight of around 150g.
Princes unite to help Lesotho herd boys
They are then moved to larger "grow cages" where they live their last days in the mountain kingdom. Through this whole process, which takes around 20 months, some of the fish grow as heavy as 2.8 kg -- lean fish meat fresh for sushi, soups and sizzling grills.
Herd boys travel miles for education
And it's the vast majority of these fish -- 85% -- that will be gutted and loaded onto 40ft refrigerated containers and shipped from the South African port of Durban to Asia. The remainder is sold to South Africa (10%) and Lesotho (5%).
Foreign inputs
But it's not just the fish that make a long journey to keep this business afloat.
Using materials and expertise from abroad has been key to the success of the project. Specially designed cages have been imported from Norway (which is also where the farm manager was based for 20 years), while most of the protein rich pellets the fish nibble on whilst growing come from France.
But not all aspects of this operation are imported. "We employ just over 100 [local people] on a permanent basis," explains managing director of Highlands Trout Grant Merrick. "The bulk of the employees are directly involved with the growing and processing of fish....We have many employees who have never been in formal employment prior to starting at Highlands Trout."
This is an important consideration in a country where 24% of the population was unemployed in 2008 -- the last year records were collected. Government estimates from figures collected in 2010/11 show that 57% of the country lives in poverty.
The Highlands of Lesotho provide ideal, pristine environmental conditions for the farming of large Trout
Fred Formanek, Advance Africa
Future fish
While this might be a significant operation now, the project has had to deal with difficulties to get to where it is today. "The extremely remote area, developing a high-tech business with the highest levels of food safety certification, in a country where aquaculture and fisheries did not exist, presented plenty of challenges," explains Formanek.
And when the business is compared to the global market the impact is limited. Expert Peter Rand of the IUCN Salmon Specialist Group describes the production figures as "very small" compared to other sectors. He explains that salmon production in countries like Norway and Chile "is more than 1 million metric tons per year."
But the Lesotho is showing no signs of shrinking in the face of the competition. "Projected growth is ramping up by some 750 tonnes per annum," explains Formanek. "Expansion into a second dam in the Highlands called Mohale Dam is in planning."
While Highlands Trout may not swamp the supermarkets anytime soon, their use of Lesotho's natural resources and remote mountain landscape could help the operation see some success.
The Katse Dam wall is 2,200m above sea level in the Maluti Mountains. "Water temperatures are close to ideal [for trout] for most of the year due to the altitude," explains Fred Formanek from Advance Africa.
When the trout eggs arrive in Lesotho from Denmark they are placed in the temperature-controlled hatchery until they grow to around 2g. The baby fish are so fragile at this stage that the water quality is monitored regularly.
Once the eggs become "fingerlings," they are transferred to larger tanks which are kept inside. They will stay in this environment until they grow to around 12g.
It is only when the fish are 12g or bigger that they can be transferred to cages in the dam.
When the trout are in the cages in the dam, they are fed a diet of pellets which are high in protein.
Workers at the Highlands Trout plant in Lesotho gut the fish in preparation for export.
The final product, packed and ready to be sent to the South African port of Durban where the product will be loaded onto refridgerated ships. The trout then make a four week journey across to Asia.
The scene from Maseru, Lesotho explains why the landlocked country is often referred to as the "Kingdom in the Sky."
By Alex Court, for CNN
November 21, 2014 -- Updated 1100 GMT (1900 HKT)
日中韓 エボラ出血熱で初の共同声明11月23日 20時35分 日本・中国・韓国の３か国の保健大臣による会合が２３日、中国の北京で開かれ、西アフリカで流行が続いているエボラ出血熱について初めて共同声明を発表し、３か国が一致して国際的な取り組みに貢献していくことを確認しました。
日本から塩崎厚生労働大臣が出席した保健大臣会合は、中国からは国家衛生計画出産委員会の李斌主任が、韓国からは保健福祉省のムン・ヒョンピョ（文亨杓）長官が出席し、２３日午前、北京で開かれました。
会合では、西アフリカで流行が続いているエボラ出血熱を巡って、国際的な医療支援の在り方や患者が発生した場合の情報共有の方法などについて意見が交わされました。そして、今回初めて日中韓の３か国としてエボラ出血熱についての共同声明を発表し、一致して国際的な取り組みに貢献していくことを確認しました。
このほか、３か国がともに直面している高齢化の問題で協力を深めていくことを確認したほか、生活習慣病やがんなどの病気への対策の必要性でも一致しました。
会合のあと塩崎大臣は記者団に対し、「大変実り多い会合になったと思う。エボラ出血熱でも、これまでの連携をさらに発展させようということになった」と述べて、成果を強調しました。
また、中国の李主任も会合は成功だったと述べ、３か国の代表は握手をしてにこやかにことばを交わしていました。
|
