Aquaculture Can Generate N1trn Revenue Annually -CAFAN

The Chairman, Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFAN), Mr Moses Onoja, has called for more focus on the aquaculture sector, for its potentials of generating N1 trillion revenue for the country.
The CAFAN boss made the assertion in an interview with The Tide source last Monday, in Lagos.
He noted that the aquaculture sector was a very lucrative part of agriculture, if more attention was paid to its development and growth.
“Catfish farming is very lucrative and can be taken to a level where people can take it as a secure means of livelihood.
“If focus is centred on fish farming in Nigeria, we can generate more than N1 trillion as revenue annually.
“The oil sector generated less than a trillion naira last year, but if adequate focus is placed on agriculture, specifically on aquaculture, we can do more.
“If we are to take aquaculture business serious, then we should not be importing fish into the country,” the CAFAN boss said.
According to Onoja, aquaculture can similarly create jobs for more than a million Nigerians across its value-chain, if well harnessed.
“When catfish farming is done on a commercial scale, it can provide opportunities for job creation across its value-chain; from production to transportation, sales and even processing of the fish and its by-products.
“Millions of Nigerians will be taken off the streets if we harness the potentials in fish farming; they will be empowered through acquisition of skills in aquaculture.
“There is no state in the country that does not have water passing through it, it is either you find a river or a lake.
“All these aforementioned waterbodies are fresh water, but we are underutilising their potentials in boosting catfish farming in Nigeria,” Onoja said.