FG Earns $45m From Fish Export

The Federal Government has earned $45 million from the export of fish in 2012, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, said.

Adesina, who said this last Friday at the 2013 Ministerial Platform in Abuja, noted that the country exported 3, 967 tonnes of fish in 2012.

“Nigeria spends N97 billion every year importing fish; and that doesn’t make sense. With all the water we have, the lakes, the creeks, everything we have, we should not be importing fish.

“We are moving fingerling production to 1.25 billion fingerlings, we are doing fish feeds,400, 000 metric tonnes of fish feeds, table size feeds, 250, 000 metric tonnes and when you talk about value addition, 100,000 metric tonnes of value addition.

“We have established two fish feed mills in Ibadan and in Ogun State. We have 62 fish farmers that have fish farm estates with 62 businesses.

“We have two large scale fish processing plants in Jebba in Kwara and in Baga in Borno states.

“As a country, we exported 3, 967, 000 metric tonnes of fish last year that earned $45 million.’’

He said that the Federal Government had mapped out strategies to increase fish production in the country this year.

Adesina said that the measures were aimed at achieving the goals of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).

According to him, the country is endowed with the potentials for massive fish production, and will maximize such potentials to boost export of the commodity.

Adesina said that the initiatives, under the Growth Ehancement Support (GES) Scheme, were being put in place to avail fish farmers the opportunity to expand the sub- sector.

He said the Federal Government would launch the distribution of fish farm imputs in the 2013 GES.

“In terms of the GES, we have been doing for seeds and for fertiliser, Mr President directed that this year, we should begin GES for fish.

“And so this year, we are launching massive efforts for fisher boats, for fish feeds, for fingerlings, outdoor motor boards and every other thing.

“For the first time, fishermen will get support straight from the Federal Government of Nigeria.”