REPORT: Buganda Still Dominates Fish Farming as Tilapia Tops All Species

By Evans Najuna

Kampala — Uganda’s aquaculture sector is experiencing significant growth, with the number of fish farms rising to 9,463 nationwide, according to the first national Aquaculture Census released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).

The comprehensive report was conducted between July 2024 and June 2025, and was, unveiled on Thursday at Statistics House in Kampala. The report provides fresh insights into the structure, production capacity and performance of Uganda’s fish farming industry.

According to the findings, 6,408 aquaculture farms are located in rural areas, highlighting the increasing importance of fish farming in boosting rural incomes, food security and employment opportunities across the country.

The report shows that the Buganda sub-region registered the highest number of aquaculture farms at 1,270, followed by Busoga with 1,038, Ankole with 973, Toro with 904, Rwenzori with 827, Teso with 809, Bunyoro with 752, Lango with 658, Bukedi with 564, Kigezi with 461, Acholi with 315, Bugisu with 306, Karamoja with 39, and Madi Sub-region with 37 farms.

UBOS report further revealed that 8,738 farms operated ponds, with a total of 24,348 ponds recorded countrywide. Of these, 17,108 ponds were stocked during the reference period.

Additionally, 9,190 farms specialized in grow-out production only, meaning they focused on raising fish to market size.

Tilapia remains Uganda’s most farmed species, with 7,555 farms culturing tilapia. In total production, Uganda harvested 65,444 metric tonnes of farmed fish during the data correction period.

Of this output, Tilapia accounted for 53,924 metric tonnes, representing 82.4 percent, while Catfish produced 11,347.4 metric tonnes, or 17.3 percent. Mirror Carp contributed 111.4 metric tonnes, representing 0.2 percent, while other species made up 0.1 percent of total production.

The report further indicates that Uganda had 273 hatcheries in operation during 2024/2025. These hatcheries had an installed production capacity of 200.1 million fish seed, while actual production reached 149.9 million seed during the same period.

Tilapia hatcheries dominated the sector, followed by Catfish hatcheries, while smaller numbers were recorded on Mirror Carp and other species.

Fish farmers reported using a variety of feed sources. The most common were farm-made feeds at 59.3 percent, plant by-products and wastes at 58 percent, commercial floating feeds at 50.8 percent, animal by-products and offals at 26.1 percent, and commercial sinking feeds at 10.7 percent. The use of insects and larvae, including black soldier fly, is also steadily increasing.

According to UBOS, aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants under controlled or semi-controlled conditions.

The 2025 report mainly focused on fish farming, including both water-based systems such as cages in lakes and rivers, and land-based systems such as ponds and tanks. The findings underscore Uganda’s growing investment in aquaculture as demand for fish rises and capture fisheries face increasing pressure from overfishing and climate change.

With improved hatcheries, better feeds and expanding rural participation, analysts say aquaculture could become one of Uganda’s key drivers of agricultural transformation in the coming years.

However, in his remarks, the State Minister for Finance in charge of Planning, Amos Lugoloobi, challenged stakeholders and policy analysts to make better use of data produced by government agencies such as the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).

He noted that many farmers still lack knowledge about aquaculture, while others do not know where to access the necessary information and technical guidance.

Lugoloobi commended UBOS for producing timely data, saying the volume of information now being generated demonstrates the bureau’s growing capacity to support national planning. He urged the agency to maintain the momentum and continue broadening the scope of its statistical work.

The minister emphasized the importance of profitability across the entire value chain, saying data collection should capture every stage of production, processing, and marketing rather than focusing on isolated figures.

He questioned how the sector could move from contributing USD 50 million to USD 500 million to GDP without deliberate investment in value addition and a well-structured value chain.

According to Lugoloobi, value addition must be integrated into production systems from the beginning rather than being considered later in the process.

He described UBOS as the country’s official source of statistics, saying every sector should rely on its data for planning and decision-making.

Lugoloobi added that there would be nothing wrong with the bureau working closely with other government sectors to produce more comprehensive reports that include challenges, opportunities, and deeper analysis.