A growing partnership between Aller Aqua and Sharick Enterprise in Malawi
For more than five years, Dennis has distributed fish feed to several farmers in Malawi and across the border. Dennis has a solid background in aquaculture, is educated in the field, and has a lot of industry experience.
After completing his 4-year aquaculture education in 2013, Dennis started working as a fish farmer trainer, enabled by a variety of outreach programmes.
As his knowledge and expertise in the local industry grew, Dennis identified a need and a chance to help advance the aquaculture industry.
"Aquaculture inputs like fingerlings and fish feed were severely limited, which long hindered the growth of the industry." The fundamental components for a successful fish farm were out of reach for Malawian farmers, which made it difficult for them to stay in business, turn a profit, or even expand," explained Dennis.
Sharick Enterprises recognized the need to supply farmers and began with small-scale initiatives to promote the sector's growth.
Today, in addition to providing and ensuring feed for their customers, Sharick Enterprise also provides training sessions, farming management, market linkage, and knowledge sharing to help farmers expand and build profitable businesses.
Sharick Enterprises supports Malawi's entire aquaculture value chain. They can facilitate clients' access to large fish buyers, which accelerates the circulation of the farmers’ business.
"We always recommend Aller Aqua's feed, not only for its quality and consistency but also for its wide product range, faster growth rate, healthier fish and a more sustainable business," Dennis Chinkhata, owner of Sharick Enterprise, explained.
Malawi imports close to 8.9 USD million worth of fish each year for consumption, and recent analyses indicate that there is still shortage of market demand. The Malawi aquaculture sector has a large potential for new farmers to enter the market as only 6% of the demand is supplied by local aquaculture production.
"With Sharick Enterprise, we have walked a long and challenging path, and we are here to stay and help aquaculture advance in Malawi and across borders, " says Adrian Constantin, Area Sales Manager for Africa at Aller Aqua.
In recent years, the government of Malawi has also taken steps forward, assisting farmers in getting a good start by indicating areas designated for cages and other farming methods.
"We, along with Aller Aqua, are expanding, as is the sector and our customers. We are here to assist the industry's development and growth, and we encourage others to join this industry with the proper support" Dennis concluded.
At Aller Aqua we form partnerships with the goal of long-term growth and sustainability, which adds value to the market and helps farmers grow consistently, making this collaboration a valuable factor for aquaculture development in Malawi.
Sharick has three outlets in Malawi and can supply Aller Aqua feed to all districts as well as customised orders based on customer requirements.
