Fish Farmers Laud Coy Over Agric Value Chain Investment 

Fish farmers in Nigeria have lauded Olam Agri in Nigeria, an agribusiness in food, feed and fibre, for its investments in agric value chain, which resulted in  the recent improvement in productivity levels in the aquaculture segment.
Speaking during a recent value chain review exercise, the farmers attested to the business’ efforts at raising operating capacity in the aquaculture sector.
Attesting to the business’ value chain impact, Vice President of the Lagos State Catfish and Allied Farmers Association, Olatoye Fajimi, said, “Olam agri employs technical experts who go around to visit farms to work with the farmers to improve farm clusters’ productivity”.
Owner of Odafi Fish Farm, located within the Asejere Fish Farms cluster in Odogbolu, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State,  Lazarus Odafi,  affirmed, “Olam Agri came to our farm cluster and trained us on pond water management techniques, how to test PH level in the pond, and ways to curb feed waste.
“They helped us understand the science of catfish farming, especially how to create the right environment for the fish to thrive. These efforts have really impacted our businesses”.
He explained explained that “Since feed is one of the most important inputs in fish farming, Olam Agri increased the availability of feed to farmers. They help farmers gain access to feed in an instant by localizing their production in key hubs here in Nigeria.
“They also employ technical experts as salespeople who go around to visit farms to interact with the farmers to improve farm clusters’ productivity”.
Mrs Ogundeyi Dorcas of Tripple T Farms, located in Ipaja, said, “The conversion rates of Olam Agri feed brands have been superb. An Olam Agri’s technical expert taught me how to manage disease in my pond and how to measure water quality. These inputs have made some impacts on my farm productivity level”.
Also, Mrs Okpapi Lucy, whose farm is in Alagbado, Lagos, said she struggled until she met an Olam Agri technical expert who introduced her to new methods of farming.
She emphasised the business’ attention to customer improvement: ‘’Anytime I have issues on the farm and call them, they would show up almost instantly. They are hands-on. In fact, they would go into my pond to address any challenge I complained about. Olam Agri is one of the reasons I am still in business”.
Speaking about the business’ approach to raising productivity in the aquaculture value chain, Mr Ankit Puri, Vice President of the Animal Feed and Protein Unit, Olam Agri in Nigeria, said, “A crucial aspect of our success story is that we keep the fish farmers at the heart of our strategy.