Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina
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The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, on Tuesday said the country was spending about N97bn on the importation of 700,000 metric tonnes of fish annually.
Adesina spoke at the 27th annual conference of the Fisheries Society of Nigeria, which was held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The minister, whose opening speech was read by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, said the tonnes of fish were imported from Europe, Latin America and other African countries.
Describing the development as unacceptable and unsustainable, Adesina said importation of fish constituted a huge drain on the national foreign exchange reserves.
He emphasised the need to harness the full potential of aquaculture, which he said would lead to the production of 2.66 million metric tonnes of fish annually in the country to meet the national fish protein requirement.
“Nigeria presently produces only 680,000 metric tonnes of fish from all local sources, including 200,000 metric tonnes from aquaculture. This is less than 10 per cent of the total potential,” he said.
The minister said increase in national fish production through aquaculture would complement ongoing efforts by the government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
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Nigeria spends N97bn on fish importation annually