Vanguard, 25 February 2011
Lagos- Mr Frederick Adeyemi, a director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, says the Federal Government will boost fish production through aquaculture. Adeyemi on Thursday in Lagos said that government was worried over the huge foreign exchange being spent annually on fish importation.
He said government had commenced schemes that would encourage establishment of more aquiculture initiatives in collaboration with the private sector to boost fish intakes. Adeyemi said that Federal Government had introduced Fish Farm Estate Culture and the use of the nation’s water bodies among others to fast track fish production.
The director said that the fish estate project started in 2009 with the aim of establishing two fish farms in each of the six geo-political zones in the country was still ongoing.
He said that most of the water bodies would be used for fish cage culture in the protected areas, adding that such system was common in Asian countries.
“ We want to encourage massive production to make fish and fisheries products cheap,’’ he said.
Adeyemi said the country was still relying on fish importation, adding the ministry would ensure self sufficiency in fish production.
He said that records had showed that most of the fish consumed globally now comes from aquaculture.
“We want to grow the sector by between seven and 10 per cent annually because fish is a high protein food and contributes immensely to world food security,” he said.
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reports showed that fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihood of an estimated 540 million people, representing eight per cent of the world’s population.
FAO reports also showed that the total world production of fish and fish products rose from 140 million tonnes in 2008 to 145 million tonnes in 2009.
Source: Vanguard
