Fish Farmers Decry Lack Of Market

The  Chairman of Fish Farmers Association in Katsina , Alhaji Usman Rimaye has disclosed that operators of fish ponds in the state have abandoned the business due to lack of market for their products.

Alhaji Rimaye who stated this while speaking with newsmen in the state recently said that only 54 of the 142 fish ponds established across the 34 local government areas of the state were functional.

The chairman identified lack of market for the products as the major factor responsible for non-functional of the fish ponds establishments in the state.

“It is because of this challenge that the fish farmers association is considering leasing out the fish facilities”, he stated.

According to him, a good number of fish farmers had reduced compelling the fish feed factory run by the association to suspend operation.

He, however, called on the stakeholders to save the situation by investing more in the sector for enhanced fish production.

Meanwhile, farmers in Mubi, Adamawa, have urged the state government to further reduce the price of fertiliser to make the commodity affordable.

A cross section of the farmers who spoke on the issue in an interview with newsmen said that the call became necessary to end the scarcity of the commodity and enhance farmers’ access to it.

Malam Yakubu Abdu, a maize farmer, said the price approved by the government was beyond the reach of smallholder farmers.

“The price is too exorbitant for peasant farmers and it might lead to the diversion of the commodity.”

“We are appealing to the government to further cut the price down and provide more subsidies on other agricultural inputs,” Abdu said.

Bukar Sambo, another farmer, also urged the government to adopt practical measures to guard against diversion and ensure equitable distribution of the commodity.

“Effective measures are necessary to ensure that the commodity gets to genuine farmers,” Sambo added.

It would be recalled that the state government last month launched the distribution of 50,000 tonnes of fertiliser for the 2011 farming season,  subsidised price of N2,100 per bag.

It was gathered that most of the local governments were yet to commence distribution of the commodity to the farmers.