The Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) has trained 32 entrepreneurs comprising of fish farmers and processors on modern fish smoking technology and introduced an industrial fish smoking kiln fabricated by the institute.
The training held at the Ojo Military Cantonment recently was in collaboration with the Lagos Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP). The essence of the training was to prepare these entrepreneurs for the international market as well as highbrow domestic market. The fish smoking kilns introduced were of two types, the big size with a capacity to smoke fish of 200kg to 300kg wet weight and sold for N650, 000 and the medium size to smoke fish of about 60kg to 80kg wet weight and sold for N350, 000. According to Felix Ajuebo, the engineer that conducted the training on use of the fish smoking kilns, these equipment have been designed to last for 30years to 40 years depending on the usage.
Majority of the trainees, who are catfish farmers have been selling their fish without processing and have had to contend with marketers who take advantage of their dire need to sell off quickly to shortchange them, negotiating low prices. Tundun Tijani, one of the trainees like other trainees said she would now go into fish processing. Some of the trainees who were already into processing expressed delight at the opportunity to scale up production.
Gloria Elemo, director general, FIIRO, in a speech read on her behalf by Buky Adesegha, a director at the institute said, “The collaboration could not have come at a better time when there is need for a synergy between FIIRO and Lagos state government, within this present administration, in order to move the economy forward and actualise the Lagos mega city project.”
She applauded CADP for its commitment in supporting programmes designed to assist budding entrepreneurs and fledging enterprises.
OLUYINKA ALAWODE
