FG To Invest N70m In Fish Production

The Federal Government has said plans are underway to invest N70 million in fish production in Rivers and Bayelsa States to raise the portentous intake of the people; and further create employment opportunities for youths in the states.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina who disclosed this while receiving the Ogoni Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers (OSCTR) led by King Barnabas Bagia in Abuja recently said government has already spent the sum of N7.2 million to boost the sub-sector in both states.

According to the Minister, the funds would cover brook-stocks, fishing nets, fish feeds, storage and processing assuring that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration was committed to “Sustainable development that will diversify the economy, create jobs and reviving all the rural areas”.

He also assured the delegation of the Federal Government’s commitment to farmers in Ogoniland and urged them to assist in not only mobilising the youths to embrace agriculture, but to take it as a business venture.

“We want the youths to have access to land and farm inputs because the future of the Ogoni people is in agriculture.

“No fewer than 4.8 million youths enter the labour market every year and only agriculture can create jobs for them”, he said.

According to him, the Federal Government plans to create 3.5 million jobs across all value chains by 2015 and that Nigeria’s future lies more on diversifying the economy and the best way was through agriculture.

He explained that government has now moved away from making agric a development project, but now as a business.

He revealed that rice was one of the value chains being focused on by the government in Ogoniland adding that the ministry has concluded plans to distribute high-yielding Cassava tubers to 20,000 farmers in the two states.

Explaining further, he said no fewer than five million farmers would be covered by the new Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme for the provision of high quality seeds and fertiliser to boost harvest in the country.

On environmental degradation and oil spillages in the region, the minister assured that the federal Ministry of Environment was working hard to put an end to them.

Earlier in his address, King Bagia observed that Ogoni people needed urgent intervention in the interrvelationship between environment and agriculture, lamenting that the activities of some oil companies.