As Nigerian entrepreneurs gear up to re-strategize for the challenges of the incoming Year 2020, with regards to employment generation and economic survival, one business enterprise to consider venturing into is fish farming. But why? The answers are provided by Grand Cereals (GCL) Ltd, a vital arm of UAC Plc based in Jos. Make out time to read through and digest it:
What is fish farming?
Fish farming or aquaculture is the rearing of aquatic organisms including fish, mollusks, crustaceans, algae and aquatic plants with human intervention to enhance productivity.
Why should I start fish farming business?
Fish farming is a very lucrative business. Many people consume fish because it does not contain bad cholesterol found in meat and is strongly recommended by doctors all over the world.
Fish also contains several other minerals necessary for healthy living.Fish is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin). Fish is rich in calcium and phosphorus and a great source of minerals, such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. Every year government spends billions of naira to import fish to supplement local production. The demand for fish is increasing by the day.
Types of fish farming
There are basically two types of fish farming. The first type is called extensive fish farming. This is the usual fishing people do. The fisherman simply goes out to the river or sea for fishing. There is no intervention to increase the production of the fishes.
The second type of fish farming is called intensive fish farming. This involves intervention to increase the yields of fishes.
How do I start intensive fish farming?
Most people choose one of four major methods of intensive fish farming. It includes Pond, Raceway, Plastic Tanks and Water Re-circulatory System (WRS). Plastic Tanks are relatively common and appears to be the cheapest method.
Where do I get fish to start rearing?
There are many hatcheries across the country where you can buy high quality fingerlings and juveniles (young fish) to start fish farming. Getting good quality fingerlings or juveniles is very important in Fish Farming business. It is also advisable that you should be physically present at the hatchery to buy fingerlings or juveniles that have been sorted.
Why do I need to buy fingerlings or juveniles that have been sorted?
In fish farming, there are fingerlings that have diseases and would “runts”. Runts are fingerlings that are called “shooters”. Shooters are the good type of fingerlings. They grow faster.
What type of fish should I use?
Fish can be mash, pelletised or extruded.
1. Mash feed is a sinking feed. This is because it easily breaks down in water such that little is available for the fishes to feed on. We do not recommend mash feed.
2. Pelletised feed has the same properties with mash feed. Though it comes in pellets, it however breaks down after sometime.
3. Extruded fish feed is the best kind of feed because it is stable and does not break down easily in water. It is therefore, available for fish feed. We strongly recommend extruded fish feed for you to use on your farm. An example of extruded fish feed is Vital Fish Feed available nationwide. It is a product of Grand Cereals Limited, a subsidiary of UAC Nigeria Plc.
Vital fish feed; what is vital fish feed?
It is an extruded floating fish feed with high feed Conversion Efficiency and high water stability. It contains essential nutritional requirement needed for your catfish to grow well, it floats in water such that are less wastages.
It is packaged in polypropylene bags and comes in 15kg packs. Vital Fish Feed comes in various sizes for the different growth stages of catfish.
What else do I need to know about fish nutrition?
Fish needs a balanced diet to grow well. A balanced diet is one that contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals in the right proportion. It is important to know what your fish requires when buying any fish feed. For example, the minimum protein need for marine shrimp is 18-20%, catfish 28-32%, tilapia 32-38%, and hybrid striped bass 38-42%
Protein requirements for smaller fish are higher than for larger fishes. It is not advisable for fish farmers to use high protein as it may be lost to the environment. Unused protein is converted to ammonia and excreted as urea, constituting a pollutant to the water.
Fats are important high-energy nutrients that supply about twice the energy as proteins and carbohydrates. Fats typically comprise 8-12% of fish diets.
Carbohydratesare important constituent of fish feed as they also provide energy. In addition, starch is useful in the extrusion production of floating feed. The extrusion process makes it more biologically available to fish. It is good to note that Vital Fish Feed also contains vitamins and minerals needed for your fish to grow well and healthy.
What do you know about the fish feed range
Grand Cereals Fish Feed Range is a collection of variety of premium, fish feed with low feed Conversion Ratio (FCR). They are fortified with essential nutrients thataids fast growth of fishes.Vital Fish Feed is the only fish feed endorsed by the Catfish & Allied Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (CAFFAN) and comes in various pellet sizes.
Fish Feed Range (FFR) is currently available in five major categories:
These are: Vital Fish Feed (Gold), Regular, Aqua Boom, Vital Fish Feed (Tilapia) and Vital Fish Feed (Fingerlings)..
Vital Fish Feed (Gold) is a quality upgrade of the regular vital fish feed. This brand is fortified with more nutrients and ensures that your fishes grow faster. It possesses vital vitamins and minerals, with excellent feed conversion, excellent performance. It is available in 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 6mm and 9mm pellet sizes. ., It is presented in attractive 15kg bags.
Vital Fish Feed (Fingerlings) is a premium floating feed needed to give the fry the boost while transiting to fingerlings. It contains all the essential vitamins and minerals that ensure the fish’s growth and is very high in crude protein
It is available in 0.3mm-1.2mm-1.5mm pellet sizes and comes in attractive 5kg bags.
On its part, Vital Fish Feed (Regular) is a foremost brand of fish feed that is formulated to float and give maximum yield. It contains all the essential nutrients that last till the end of the farming season.
What makes Aqua Boom unique is because it is a floating fish feed that is formulated to give good weight gain at reduced cost with ultimate weight gain, and increased yield. It is made available in 6mm and 9mm pellet sizes and it is presented in 15kg laminated polypropylene bags.
Not left out is the Vital Fish Feed (Tilapia). It is a high quality feed that helps tilapia farmers achieve high yield of large-sized fish (600gm-900gm) within a short period of time.
At the end of the day, the choice fish farmers make in terms of the fingerlings they raise or buy, the types of fish feed they provide and sustained procedure in nurturing them before harvest and marketing would determine their profit margin.
Ayo OyozeBaje
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