May president Apollo Milton Obote who introduced the fish into the waters of
Great Lakes rest in peace.
EM
On the 49th
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Alecho Jesse
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 4:33 PM
To: ugandans-at-heart; [email protected]
Subject: {UAH} Earning a living--from Nile Perch skin
Earning a living--from Nile Perch skinBy EVERLINE OKEWO | Tuesday, October
23 2012 at 13:21
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<http://www.africareview.com/image/view/-/1539860/highRes/413319/-/maxh/283/
maxw/432/-/fg6ugb/-/Fish+skinIMG.jpg> Fish skins that have been freed off
scales on dry hangers at Obunga slums in Kisumu. The scale less skin is then
bought by skin tanners at $2 for 100kgs for processing and making shoes,
handbags, sandals and wallets. TOM OTIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A group of women at an informal settlement in Kenya's Kisumu County are
earning a living by making and selling unique products made from fish skin.
Using Nile perch skin, the group has been making shoes and belts that are
popular among residents and visitors.
Obunga Women group was started two years ago, selling fish. Thanks to their
saving culture, they were able to pool resources which went into the new
venture.
The groups leader, Mrs Seline Opondo, said that skins are obtained from
Nile perch waste products from a nearby fillet processing plant in Obunga
slums.
The waste products have been a blessing in disguise, she said.
Raw materials are easily available given that Nile perch accounts for 70 per
cent of the total fish catch from Lake Victoria.
We get the waste products and peel off any flesh before moving to the next
stage, which is tanning, said Mrs Opondo.
High oil content
Tanning, which involves treating the skin to produce durable leather that is
less susceptible to decomposition, takes a week given that fish has high oil
content. Chemicals are also used to remove the oil.
Table salt is applied before drying them in the sun. The skins are churned,
soaked, fleshed, and dried in the open air. Tanning prevents the leather
from becoming stiff once all the oils are removed.
The leather is then used to make foot wear, handbags and other products that
are developed by the group through the assistance of the Kenya Industrial
Research and Development.
The idea, which the women got from Kirdi, has since transformed their lives.
Use of fish leather is becoming popular especially in the lake side region
with government agencies and CBOs working in tandem to create value out of
the resource until recently considered as waste.
"Kirdi trained mongers on how to process fish skin into valuable leather
shoes that can compete in both local and international markets, said Mrs
Opondo.
Our items are made from rare and unique leathers. People look at them and
are amazed, she added.
Mrs Opondo is optimistic that leather made from the fish skin could
ultimately bring down the cost of footwear, given that the shoes are cheaper
compared to imported ones.
Teenage Mothers and Girls Association of Kenya director Philomena Othacha
said fish has emerged as a new alternative source of leather in what could
potentially change Kenyas leather manufacturing and fashion industry.
Bring down cost
The new sources could create a multi-million business for fish mongers in
this region. All that is required is government support especially to enable
traders access loans to expand the business, said Ms Othacha.
Members of the women group said that lack of ready market for their products
remains a big challenge.
Mrs Mary Onyango, a cobbler said that fish leather shoes will soon be the
in-thing in the fashion industry. Fish skins can also be processed into
suede and other high end products which are water and scratch proof, she
said.
A pair of shoes made from fish skin leather goes for Sh1,000 ($12) in the
local market and Sh1,500 ($17) if sold outside while a handbag made from the
same costs Sh6,000 ($70) locally.
The final products spot unique fish-scale patterns while maintaining the
soft texture of leather.
The women urged the government to stem the inflow of cheap low quality
imports and second hand footwear and leather products which is slowly
killing the local sub-sector.
Magnam Environmental Network official Michael Nyaguti said that the stock of
Nile perch is dwindling due to use of illegal gears adding that overfishing
could kill the sub sector.
Stocks of Nile perch have really declined and getting very big fish to
enable fish mongers get large skins has been a great challenge, he said.
According to the Economic survey 2010, production of leather and footwear
registered a significant growth of 36.5 per cent mainly driven by leather
shoes which shot up by 46.5 per cent in 2009.
Regards
Jesse
--
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