Government to checkmate unbriddled fish importation

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IN line with global best practices, stakeholders in the agricultural sector have called on the government to establish a trust fund for the sustainable funding of agricultural research, development and extension activities. They mentioned that like what is obtained in other countries, users of research finding should be made to fund research in agriculture, adding that research fund allocation should be differentiated from the capital and recurrent expenditures in all agricultural research institutes. This was contained in a communiqué presented at the end of a Symposium tagged: “Making Agricultural research work for the users, the stakeholders also demanded that budgeting by the different levels of government in the agricultural sector should reflect cost effectiveness and poverty reduction potentials of different agricultural commodities.

THE Federal Ministry of Water Resources has approved fish craft model initiated to curb excessive importation of fish in the country.

The innovative Floating Fish Cage system introduced by Vitapur Nigeria Limited for fish farming also called Fish Craft has the capacity to produce 16 tonnes of catfish per annum at a feed conversion of 60 per cent.

Speaking at the inaugural Fish Harvest Ceremony in Lagos recently, the Nigerian Ambassador to Sweden, Godknows Igali said the technology has the potential to change the fortunes of the country from fish importing nation to an exporter of fish.

He noted that since the country has abundant water resources, with fish craft technology that has a capacity to produce 16 tonnes of catfish per annum at a feed conversion of 60 per cent, that the country could satisfy its domestic fish demand “if only all embraces the technology’’.

He noted that the cost of fish importation is on the high side, adding that it has continued to aggravate the prevailing unemployment crisis in the country.

He lauded the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries for bringing the technology’s prototype to reality,

While urging commercial fish farmers to leverage on the product and availability water resources in Nigeria to boost fish production in the nation.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive, Talon Nigeria Limited, Mr. Lanre Talabi, said the country spends about US $1 billion yearly on importation of fish which translates to about N157 billion.

He explained that the country can earn foreign exchange from fish exportation if the populace would embrace the business.

He said that the country has sufficient water resources well enough for the project, adding that the technology has been tested at various water locations in the country by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

The Managing Director of Vita Pur Nigeria Limited, Mr. Oluwole Adisa, said that with the technology there would be no need to import fish in the next three years if everybody embraces it and utilise the water resources across the country.

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Government to checkmate unbriddled fish importation