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Lejone is a small village in the mountains of Lesotho situated two thousand metres above sea level. It is known as a haven for fishermen and mostly a variety of fish -trouts- are grown and harvested at regular intervals. There are two professional fish farms in the land-locked kingdom
Lejone is a small village in the mountains of Lesotho situated two thousand metres above sea level. It is known as a haven for fishermen and mostly a variety of fish -trouts- are grown and harvested at regular intervals. There are two professional fish farms in the land-locked kingdom. Katse Fish Farms with two partners in 2005 started in a humble way. Today, the company is profitable, with a yearly output of 800 tonnes of fish. Each kilogram of this delicacy which goes to the tables of rich people in South Africa fetches about the US $50 a kilogram.
Trout farming in Lesotho is the result of its geographical advantages. The mountainous region is also known for the export of bottled water and that too to South Africa. South Africa gets much of its water from its neighbour. Lesotho has had several dams built across its waterways over the past three decades, which serve as a perennial source of clean water. Another favourable side effect of the dams are widening of river beds creating inlets and basins that are ideal for trout farming.
Fish farming currently accounts for less than 0.1 percent of Lesotho’s US$2 billion GDP. The Lesotho National Development Corporation feels that it has the potential to emerge as the regional leader in aquaculture, because of its natural endowments. Yet, the adjoining villages, where so many poor people live, should benefit from its natural endowments to leverage its natural bounty for inclusive growth.
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Though people in the villages are selling water and fish to South Africa, they themselves do not have water and cannot taste the delicious trout farmed out from their own waters. Around two million people live in the adjoining areas where the dam is situated. Households do not have either water or electricity. Flooding is a perennial problem, which the authorities conveniently try to overlook. Floods inundate the farmlands damaging crops grown there with the result that many of the villagers are now engaged in off-farm work.
