Asutuare (E/R) July 7 GNA - Government is soon to initiate a new school feeding programme that would ensure continuous supply of fish to first and second cycle institutions in the country, Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Fisheries, said on Wednesday.

She said this would help to make sure that students had adequate protein content in their meals.

The Minister said this when she paid a day's working visit to Tropo Farms, an aquaculture site at Asutuare in the Eastern Region, to identify problems faced by farmers and how the Ministry could assist them.

Mr Asmah said plans were far advanced to woo investors to develop aquaculture in the country to make up for the short fall of fish during the lean season.

"The Ministry is committed to encourage fish farming in the country to enable us achieve fish sufficiency in the country."

Mrs Asmah said the Government had established a fishmeal project called "Ghana Protein" at Tema to give continuous supply of fishmeal to farmers in aquaculture business in the country.

Mr Micheal Amechi, Managing Director of Tropo Farmers, said fish farming was a lucrative business and could earn foreign exchange if handled properly and on a large scale.

Mr Amechi said he would be able to supply fingerlings to anybody who wanted to go into fish farming.

Tropo Farms is a private fish farm at Asutuare with about 20 fishponds that produce tilapia.

Each pond holds about 22,000 fish. It also has a hatchery, which produces fingerlings for the ponds. The farm employs 35 youths.