Post by Trade Coach on Jan 8, 2021 12:14:30 GMT 1
Nigeria does not produce enough fish to meet the demands of the population. It is baffling that with so much riverine and coastal areas in Nigeria, the country still cannot produce enough fish to meet up with its internal demand. The country’s internal demand for fish is estimated to be about 2.7 million metric tonnes annually. We are producing only 800,000 metric tonnes with a whopping deficit of about 1.9 million metric tonnes. The country imports about $1.2 billion worth of fish annually according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Why the country relies heavily on imports still baffles many analysts and agricultural experts. Experts have noted that some factors are responsible for this anomaly, and they are listed as follows. Insecurity in the Northeast is one of the causes of this problem. If you look back you can remember when trailers fully laden with smoked fish come into the southern part of the country. But immediately the conflict started, the fishing industry in the North collapsed.
Another major cause of this shortage is piracy in the gulf of Guinea, many seamen this forum discussed with complained that pirates on the Gulf of Guinea pose grave danger to fishing companies as they have been severally attacked and dispossessed of their products. Other analysts are also saying that the government needs to show more commitment in this sector so as to reverse this ugly trend.
This is a devastating effect on the lives of Nigerians. According to The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) there are over 13 million Nigerian children suffering from chronic malnutrition.
The local fish industry is located mainly in the North East and North West, so immediately the Boko Haram problem started and the military high command had to ban fishing in that zone the industry collapsed. Though fishing activities have resumed in the North East things have not improved as the rogue elements are still present there.
The oil spill in the Niger Delta region is also working against fish farming in the country. This means that Nigeria must urgently look for alternative sources of protein in the coming years if this condition persists. Looking for a respite from the Niger Delta is probably looking in the wrong direction because of the level of degradation in the area due to oil pollution of the waters. Fishes cannot survive in such environments; oil spillage has caused so much damage to the waters.
There is no time as good as now to go into fish farming. The deficit in fish production in the country is so high, about 1.9 million metric tonnes and there is no concrete step to solve the problem. Private farmers and foresighted businessmen and women should immediately cash in this opportunity.
Nigerians have been into fish farming for a long time, it is not new in this country; the problem is that not many people have shown interest in this area of farming. Now is the best time to get into this business. With the level of shortage of fish in the country, there is no quantity of fish produced that will not be consumed by the hungry market.
State Governments are ready to support individuals and small scale businesses that are ready to venture into this very lucrative business. Until the nagging issue of insecurity in the gulf of Guinea is taken care of, it will be difficult for big fishing companies to start operation close to the National ocean waters. The small scale farmers can come in and fill the gap to reduce the level of importation of fish in the country.
The following are the most popular types of fish to farm in Nigeria: Catfish, this is one of the most popular types of fish consumed in the country. Many farmers are very familiar with this type of fish. Another one is Tilapia; this is also common in our markets. There is also the one called Mackerel; the country has vast resources to provide protein for our teeming population and children in particular.
There is no way farmers will not make good profit in this business. I urge more businessmen and women to enter into the business because the market is huge and the profit is very good.
Why the country relies heavily on imports still baffles many analysts and agricultural experts. Experts have noted that some factors are responsible for this anomaly, and they are listed as follows. Insecurity in the Northeast is one of the causes of this problem. If you look back you can remember when trailers fully laden with smoked fish come into the southern part of the country. But immediately the conflict started, the fishing industry in the North collapsed.
Another major cause of this shortage is piracy in the gulf of Guinea, many seamen this forum discussed with complained that pirates on the Gulf of Guinea pose grave danger to fishing companies as they have been severally attacked and dispossessed of their products. Other analysts are also saying that the government needs to show more commitment in this sector so as to reverse this ugly trend.
This is a devastating effect on the lives of Nigerians. According to The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) there are over 13 million Nigerian children suffering from chronic malnutrition.
The local fish industry is located mainly in the North East and North West, so immediately the Boko Haram problem started and the military high command had to ban fishing in that zone the industry collapsed. Though fishing activities have resumed in the North East things have not improved as the rogue elements are still present there.
The oil spill in the Niger Delta region is also working against fish farming in the country. This means that Nigeria must urgently look for alternative sources of protein in the coming years if this condition persists. Looking for a respite from the Niger Delta is probably looking in the wrong direction because of the level of degradation in the area due to oil pollution of the waters. Fishes cannot survive in such environments; oil spillage has caused so much damage to the waters.
There is no time as good as now to go into fish farming. The deficit in fish production in the country is so high, about 1.9 million metric tonnes and there is no concrete step to solve the problem. Private farmers and foresighted businessmen and women should immediately cash in this opportunity.
Nigerians have been into fish farming for a long time, it is not new in this country; the problem is that not many people have shown interest in this area of farming. Now is the best time to get into this business. With the level of shortage of fish in the country, there is no quantity of fish produced that will not be consumed by the hungry market.
State Governments are ready to support individuals and small scale businesses that are ready to venture into this very lucrative business. Until the nagging issue of insecurity in the gulf of Guinea is taken care of, it will be difficult for big fishing companies to start operation close to the National ocean waters. The small scale farmers can come in and fill the gap to reduce the level of importation of fish in the country.
The following are the most popular types of fish to farm in Nigeria: Catfish, this is one of the most popular types of fish consumed in the country. Many farmers are very familiar with this type of fish. Another one is Tilapia; this is also common in our markets. There is also the one called Mackerel; the country has vast resources to provide protein for our teeming population and children in particular.
There is no way farmers will not make good profit in this business. I urge more businessmen and women to enter into the business because the market is huge and the profit is very good.