AquaLink Services

AquaLink Services was founded and registered in 2020 under the Business Registration Act as a Partnership. The business has three partners who each hold an equal share of ownership: Pemphero Kumbani (Operations Director), Precious Sanjama (Director of Marketing) and Moses Simwaka (Production Director). AquaLink Services envisions itself as a leading supplier of aquaculture inputs, equipment and aligned services. These inputs and equipment include fish feed, fingerlings, seine nets, scoop nets, hapa nets, measuring boards, weighing scales, waders, graders, and hormones. The company’s business objective is to grow their sales volumes, turnover and profitability by providing quality inputs to smallholders. 

For over three years, AquaLink Services has supported over 900 smallholder livestock farmers in their production operations. The company has also been engaged to supply agricultural equipment and services to various organizational clients including the Government of Malawi’s Department of Fisheries, private companies, non-governmental organizations, and government projects across the country. With six full-time and 20 part-time employees, the company has its main shop in Lilongwe, and three outlets in Blantyre, Zomba, and Mzuzu. Contact: www.aqualinkmw.com Facebook LinkedIn

Upscaling the Commercialisation of BSF-based Feed for Poultry and Aquaculture for Enhanced Viable Production by Smallholders

This project seeks to demonstrate that the use of BSF-based feeds for fish and poultry has the potential to reduce the cost per unit of output and improve production volumes for smallholder fish and poultry farmers by replacing the more expensive soybean-based feeds with the BSF-based feeds.

AquaLink Services will promote and supply an on-farm Black Soldier Fly (BSF) production solution as a package comprising BSF larvae production units, starter pack of larvae, and embedded services, including user training and technical backstopping to smallholder fish and poultry farmers in a bid to commercialise the production and use of BSF as a protein source for livestock feeds in the aquaculture and poultry sectors. The business aims to refine an already existing unit for producing BSF larvae (which is currently under development) and redesign it to specifically meet the needs of smallholder farmers working in these two value chains. CASA is supporting the partner to work with smallholders, who are members of existing out-grower schemes with agri-SME buyers, to test the BSF production units on-farm and embedded technical support to users.

This nine-month project provides AquaLink with the opportunity to pilot an innovative on-farm BSF larvae producing solution in their market, allowing them to attract investment through demonstrating the viability of both the BSF-based feed for fish and poultry and the BSF larvae production unit package amongst targeted fish and poultry producers. The project seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of BSF larvae as a sustainable feed alternative for fish and poultry, particularly those produced by smallholder farmers; and the viability of BSF-based feeds to reduce production costs and improve product volumes. At a total project cost of £61,394 (with CASA providing £40,719), AquaLink expects to reach 3,000 smallholder farmers.

To acquire capital assets to facilitate the expansion of production and sales of on-farm BSF production units, AquaLink is seeking an investment of £75,000 and a further £30,000 into six selected agri-SMEs and the smallholder farmers in their value chains towards the product purchase financing.