Stakeholders in the fishing subsector under the auspices of The Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) have called on the Federal Government to commercialise the production of herbivorous fish species to tackle the high cost of feeds which farmers incur.
The stakeholders who spoke at the first stakeholder meeting organised by FISON in Lagos recently, also called on agricultural research institutes to develop technologies that would help address the issue of fish feeds for farmers.
Fish feeds constitute 70 percent of the total cost of production and 80 percent of the varieties available in the market are imported, exposing it to exchange rate volatility.
“The cost of producing fish in Nigeria is very high and this is due to the fact that fish meal which takes over 70 percent of production cost is majorly from fish,” Lukman Agbabiaka, president, FISON and vice president, West Africa Non-State Actors for Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (WANSAFA), said.
“We need to start promoting the cultivation of herbivorous fish – the grass-eating fish species. This will help drive down farmers production cost as it is cheaper to cultivate,” Agbabiaka said.
He stated that there are several of herbivorous fish species in the country but very little of them is known by farmers due to the inability of the research institutes to develop them and also the government to commercialise these species.
He noted that the herbivorous fish is very delicious and would help drive growth in the sector while also providing variety for Nigerians to select from.
High cost of fish feeds has remained the major issue limiting the country’s aquaculture production as farmers continue to spend over 70 percent of its cost on feeds.
Nigeria’s fish production is currently put at 1.03 million metric tons, with artisanal fisheries having the highest with 694,867 metric tons, followed by aquaculture with 316,727 MT and industrial with 15,464MT, data from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows.
The country’s total annual fish demand is estimated at 3.4 million MT, implying that the country’s has a demand-supply gap of 2.4MMT.
Also speaking, Folake Areola, former director, Federal Department of Fisheries (FDF), said that the grass cap fish species is very nutritious and delicious as it commands a high market price in the international market when compared to other cultured species.
“We need to commercialise production of the grass cap to expand our fish production. There are lots of varieties of the grass-eating fish species available in our waters,” she said.
“There is mallet, which most coastal communities already know, and people love their taste. What we need to do is to develop the specie. We need these varieties.”
In a paper presentation, title ‘Socio-economic benefits and product diversity in the aquaculture industry’ Professor Bamidele Omitoyin, department of Aquaculture &Fisheries, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, urged stakeholders on value addition to drive growth in the sector.
Omitoyin who was represented by Friday Oslo, a lecturer in the same department, gave an example citing Iceland as a model for the country to grow its fishing industry.
“Iceland has developed its fish industry through value addition. Every part of the fish is an industry on its own. From production of cod oil for pharmaceuticals to using the sink for leather amongst others,” Omitoyin said.
Josephine Okojie
