₦airaland Forum

Christi Bu Eze! Though the songs being done here (Nairobi)is in Swahili, l just follow dey dance as the Church is Universal!

Forming career comes first..is his schedule tighter than Dangote's?

Hmm..childhood girlfriends.

Though l am not for importing labour but truth be told the work ethics of local farm hands is high-blood pressure inducing, it seems they derive joy in frustrating the owner, wanting to collect unjustified wages for shoddy jobs done!

Felt like sharing this article.


A system of elaborate water pipes, cemented tanks and tunnels joining the tanks to form what looks like miniature swimming pools is what you see when you enter this premises in Mua Hills, Machakos County, Kenya.

At an adjacent chamber, more water pipes, buckets, and electricity switches dot the cool room whose temperatures are regulated.

Thousands of fish fingerlings can be seen swimming in the water buckets. These, we learn, are tilapia juvenile fishes.

Welcome to Kamuthanga Fish Farm, where female fish fingerlings undergo sex reversal to become male.

The fish hatchery has an estimated 800,000 to 1 million fingerlings.

Joseph Odhiambo, the attendant at the hatchery, explains that at the age of eight days, fingerlings’ sex is still not fully developed.

A hormone known as 17 Beta Methyl Testosterone that changes the hormones of fish fingerlings is introduced into the water to convert female fish into male, Odhiambo says. “We prefer males because males grow two times faster than females. It’s more economical to rear males because they take a shorter period to achieve maximum weight.”

The hatchery has four chambers with an estimated 250,000 fingerlings in each chamber.

Fish eggs from the farm are put in circulation tubes in the first chamber. Odhiambo says they trap the fertilised eggs from the mouth of female fish before they hatch.

The egg-producing fish are reared normally in the farm.

Hatching takes 10 days at the chamber because there are heaters to regulate temperatures for maximum effect. This takes place in chamber one.

From there, the fingerlings are collected into bowls using sieves and put into chamber two. Here, formulated fish feeds with 57 per cent proteins are introduced alongside the hormone-changing chemicals.

BEING TRANSFERRED

The fingerlings stay in the system for two for seven days before being transferred into chamber three.

“Sex reversal, which began in chamber two, ends in chamber three. Those who were male are now converted to female,” says Odhiambo. This stage takes a maximum of 28 days.

Chamber four is the holding tank where the fish grow before being transferred to the outgrowing unit outside the system.

The water used at the hatching chambers is recycled and finally disposed of at a wasteland in the farm.

A borehole on the farm provides water throughout the year.

Jason Hammona, the aquaculture manager at the Kamuthanga Farm, says through sex reversal, they are able to get 95 per cent of male fish from the pool.

OUTGROWING PLANT

Hammona says sex reversal and speeded-up hatching of fingerlings is necessary to meet increased demand for fish.

“We need to double the supply. This type is called highland-based aquaculture system. I’m only using 10 per cent of our water so in terms of water conservation it’s very good,” Hammona says.

This reversal business, though, is not a matter for the faint-hearted. There are 22 tanks and 28 septic tanks each holding 50,000 litres of water in the outgrowing plant.

Anthony Ndeto, the owner of Kamuthanga Farm, says has spent an estimated Sh7 million (N14m) on the fish farm. The borehole that supplies water to the system cost Sh2 million (N4m) to sink.

Hammona advises farmers to ensure a steady supply of water before venturing into this business.

He intends to sell both the fish and the fingerlings from the farm in local markets.

Apart from fish farming, the larger part of the farm is occupied by horticultural crops including, tomatoes, cabbages, sweet potatoes, lettuce, eggplant, and even peanuts.

The horticulture section has thrived with the support from USAid, Kenya Horticulture Competitive Project (KHCP) and Syngenta.

Ndeto says his background in marketing has helped in the farming venture as his products usually have a ready market.

“Farming may not be the most difficult thing, marketing is. Here we start with the marketing first and get orders for our products,” Ndeto says.

According to Alex Akidiva, a scientist at Egerton University, sex reversal in fish is legal, but only for government-certified farming groups.

At the hatching stage, fingerlings are born with a 50-50 hormonal balance, meaning they are neither male nor female.

However, certified farmers can ensure they all turn out to be males by introducing the 17 Beta Methyl Testosterone hormone before the fingerlings are seven days old.

“You start by introducing two grammes of the hormone and reduce the amount gradually as the fingerlings weigh more,” the scientist says.

At maturity (six months), males weigh half a kilogramme and above while female fish weigh about 400 grammes.

This means that people keeping fish for commercial reasons are better off dealing with more males than females.

According to Akidiva, females weigh less because they spend a lot of energy on reproduction, which starts at the age of three months.

BROOD IN THE MOUTH

“Female fish brood in the mouth meaning they do not eat for at least four days,” says Akidiva.

“They also guard young ones against prey by putting them in the mouth.” The hormone has no side effects on consumers, according to Akidiva, but he emphasizes that it has to be administered by certified experts only.

Already, he says, the fish naturally have the hormone at hatching. Only an addition to what was already there is done. The hormone does not affect the nutritional value or taste of the fish, he says.

impressive.

Any molester irrespective of gender is a risk to the community and should not be ignored but taken up.

Good development.

Hmm..this life is not a straight line!

#ln hausa man's voice....Akuba adaba Olurun ma je a ri!

lt is better for their business, they can't shout!

This question is prompted by a situation l got to know of. A lady got pregnant for her then boyfriend in 2007, at first the guy denied the pregnancy but later accepted it and even promised marriage to the lady but he bolted away. The lady's family took care of her till she put to bed to a baby girl in 2008

The baby girl was registered under her mother's family name since the lady was unmarried. The lady met someone else who she is been dating for the last 2 years and it is now leading to marriage this December, The husband to-be has wholeheartedly accepted the girl and even changed her to a more expensive school By the tradition where the woman comes from (she is from Ezeagu, in Enugu state) a child born out of wedlock belongs to the lady's family and whoever pays her bride price automatically becomes the child's father.

Baby daddy has now shown face and wants to be part of the girl's life and had physically fought with the husband to-be. The lady's family had warned him severally to keep off and even told the school where the girl attends not to ever allow him access to the girl. l am told not even the courts can grant Baby daddy any form of custodial rights.

Where l am from in lmo state, 'any child born at home' (outside wedlock) belongs to the lady's family and he/she bears the family's name and becomes like the last born of the family. When the lady marries, she leaves the child behind with her family though the child can be visiting the mother.

There is also this incident l heard of where a man had lived with a woman for almost 8 years and had 3 children with her without any marital rites, when he died, the family of the 'widow' did not allow her to be involved in his burial citing he was never married to their daughter and the children were not regarded as his by tradition.

What is the status of a child born out of wedlock where you come from?

Kalusam:
@Pavore, they were the only ones in that line of business at the exhibition stand yesterday

ok. so much can be achieved with a greenhouse, will do a post on my visit to some Sisters who are into aquaponics.

Kalusam:
So I thought but discovered that they are also into seeds, machinery and chemicals

Are there other firms into greenhouse equipment at the event? Someday will use it to set up a soiless strawberry farm.

jethro2:
For bulk buying at present, its only mile 12. Hotels and restaurants do buys in kilo and at a good price if one can get across to them

while selling @ mile 12, make marketing forays into hotels it pays.

jethro2:
I have not bother to count that. I dont have idea. Please dont forget that the sizes are never the same.

l know size varies just to have an idea.Are there no other market outlets in Lagos except Mile 12?

@Johncuppa, read and watch the short video of briquette making from waste at www.koboideas..com I believe that will give you an idea.

Hmm..creative Nigerians should even tap more from the rice husks which is regarded as waste at local rice mills and make briquettes out of them to substitute charcoal and firewood in cooking.lt only requires rice husk, used paper(as binder) & water!

jethro2:
The target market is mile 12 Lagos. A bag in mile 12 is currently 3000 while Ibadan market is 2000

Averagely, how many cucumbers are in a bag?

@jethro2, congratulations on your harvest! What is your marketing plan for it?

l bumped into the protest earlier today, some of the protesters wearing daring outfits, they bait who go gather mind come harass them.

My sister who is getting married soon was controlled with juice from fresh bitter leaf which was ever available in our compound while growing up, she would suck & suck while staring into space, you would have thought her spirit was somewhere else!

ln some women's mind, vengance loading....

Though l take slices of wheat bread with fresh tomatoes, onions,cabbage, carrot,cucumber(all chopped) with a mug of goat milk but at times when am preparing this my mind is distracted towards microwaving the left-over semolina & whatever soup l have!

one of the reasons for the regret is, he does not have all his children under one roof, his children outside are growing under the influence of other men.

@lshilove, this is no ordinary eye, l want the truth no lie.. abeg which baba dey mix am for you? see as you just dey monopolize frontpage!

ogbongenet:
Rolling...............

Impressive!

Ademat7:
I tot of doing a Biz during festive period which is
point and kill ie you buy live chicken and guys will
help u to kill it + remove the feathers.what do u guys
see to it?

l believe this service is being rendered where chickens are sold in the local markets.

hmm..

@denisfidha, l believe u know River road area very well, do ur investigation & find out if hair extensions are not also coming in from Nigeria, if u are a Nigerian u should know where Nigerians go and pick up their goods from Lagos at Mwibi road.

@contactmorak, finally you have put that behind you, na to go international remain. u can start with other African countries for vacation just book ahead of time in order to get cheaper ticket. lt is good to experience how other people are living.

Ukutsgp:
na u know sha. dnt say u were not told.

Feel free to hold that against me!