Nigeria Needs More Than Fish Farms To Bridge 2.2m-Tonne Supply Gap

Nigeria’s quest to bridge its fish supply deficit will require coordinated investments in feed production, hatcheries, processing facilities, cold-chain infrastructure and financing, rather than an expansion of fish farms alone, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has said.

Oyetola, who spoke at a High-Level Roundtable on Scaling Sustainable Catfish Value Chain Transformation in Abuja, said the country faced an annual fish supply shortfall of about 2.2 million metric tonnes, presenting significant opportunities for investors across the aquaculture industry.

According to him, Nigeria’s annual fish requirement stands at approximately 3.6 million metric tonnes, while domestic production from all sources is about 1.4 million metric tonnes.

He said closing the gap would strengthen domestic food supply, reduce dependence on fish imports, stimulate enterprise development and create sustainable livelihoods.

“Expanding domestic fish production is an economic and food security imperative. It offers an opportunity to strengthen domestic food supply, reduce dependence on fish imports, stimulate enterprise development and create sustainable livelihoods across the country,” he said.

The minister noted that Nigeria was Africa’s second-largest aquaculture producer and a leading producer of farmed African catfish, but stressed that unlocking the sector’s potential required investments beyond fish farming.

He identified opportunities in hatcheries, feed mills, equipment manufacturing, transportation, processing, cold-chain services and trading, noting that investment in aquaculture had the potential to generate economic activities across several interconnected sectors.

Oyetola, however, identified high feed and energy costs, inconsistent supplies of quality fingerlings, inadequate fish health management, weak biosecurity and insufficient processing and cold-storage facilities as major constraints limiting the industry’s expansion.

He maintained that addressing these challenges was essential to building a productive and sustainable catfish industry, adding that access to quality fingerlings, affordable feed, appropriate financing, effective fish health management, reliable markets and modern infrastructure must be prioritised.

The minister also called on financial institutions to develop lending arrangements that reflect the peculiarities of fish farming, particularly its production cycles and cash-flow patterns.

“The timing of disbursement, repayment schedules and cost of credit must reflect the production cycle and cash-flow patterns of fish farming enterprises,” he said.

He added that viable fish farming businesses should not be held back by financing arrangements that fail to accommodate the realities of their operations.

Describing the industry’s challenges as potential investment opportunities, Oyetola urged investors to consider feed manufacturing, modern hatcheries, processing facilities, cold-chain infrastructure and improved logistics.

He also advocated the establishment of aquaculture clusters and cooperative arrangements to reduce operating costs, facilitate shared infrastructure and improve access to essential services.

On government support, the minister assured investors of the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment through stronger coordination with state governments, regulatory institutions and private sector operators.

He also pledged deeper engagement with development finance institutions to promote affordable financing, improve sector data, strengthen research, ensure quality assurance and expand technical support.

Oyetola further called for deliberate inclusion of women and young people, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises, in the industry’s expansion, stressing the need to ensure that economic growth goes hand in hand with environmental sustainability.

The minister gave the assurance at the roundtable organised under the Fisheries and Aquaculture for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (FISH4ACP) programme, where he acknowledged the contributions of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the European Union and the German Government to the development of Nigeria’s catfish value chain.

He said the programme had identified critical industry constraints and demonstrated practical interventions in alternative feed ingredients, including black soldier fly larvae, hatchery management, broodstock improvement, business development and digital farm management.

FISH4ACP is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), implemented by FAO with funding from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The programme supports the development of more productive, inclusive and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture value chains across 12 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

In Nigeria, its interventions target the catfish value chain through improved farming practices, access to finance, better farm management, technology adoption and stronger collaboration among industry stakeholders.

Seyi Taiwo-Oguntuase is a visionary writer. She Writes on business and agricultural related issues among several other issues of national interest. She likes travelling and impacting on people who comes across her.

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