Iqbal Abdallah, a farmer in Tana River County, has found success in Lobster farming, one of the less explored yet profitable ventures in the country.
The idea of lobster farming was introduced to him by a Chinese friend who also offered him some training. For three good years, Abdallah engaged in research on Lobster farming until 2010, when he executed the idea.
Armed with three cages, a boat, and a net, he began the venture where he traded only on dead lobsters. He hired two more boats and established a farm in the sea, where he started a hatchery with eggs he obtained from the Chinese.
“Many looked at us and said we were insane. The idea was indeed insane since it required more than what we had gathered as we had to start by fetching the lobster eggs, and that meant we had to go deep-sea into the reefs,” he recounts.
Things aligned when the Chinese who had trained him visited his farm. Impressed by Abdallah’s work, he offered him and his partner one more boat and offered them a market for their lobsters.
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According to him, lobsters thrive in estuaries with salty water as it induces spawning and fertilization. They fed the young lobsters with bloodworms and tubifex worms.
How I make Sh. 50,000 net profit every month from selling eggs
The farm has since expanded and currently owns four boats and operates ten cages, employing 12 youths. While the journey has so far been a success, Abdallah notes that it’s not for the faint-hearted.
“It is expensive to start, one may need not less than Sh650,000 to start. We are fortunate we got help from people who believed in us and have been partners ever since,” he says.
He however notes that the venture pays handsomely compared to other types of seafood. On a good month, his farm produces at least 300 kilos of mature lobsters but dips to 70 kilos when the season is low.
He makes not less than Sh800,000 after splitting profits with his partner, paying the workers and taxes, and setting aside operation and maintenance costs.
His clients, he notes, are exclusive and usually come for the product by themselves from the farm, making him a cut above other fishermen.
While other dealers sell dead lobsters that fetch them Sh700 per kilo, Abdallah and his partner earn Sh5,000 per kilo.
“The Italian and Chinese hotels go for fresh animals. They always come for the lobsters that are alive. We don’t take anything to the market, the market comes to us,” he says.
He notes that they would be making more if it were not for the high revenue charges from the county administration. In Tana River County, Abdallah says fishermen pay a levy of Sh400 per kilo of lobster compared to Sh10 in Lamu.
