As the demand for fish exceeds 3.6 million metric tons but the country is only able to produce about 1.2 million metric tons, Nigeria government has registered more fishing vessles.
Mr Ime Umoh, the Director, Fisheries Department in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, made this known at the ‘ Second Dialogue with Regional Economic Communities (RECS) implementation of Fisheries Governance Project phase 2 (FISHGOV-2) on Monday, in Abuja.
The three-day dialogue is co-hosted by African Union Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD, and African Union-InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources, AU-IBAR, with the support of European Union, EU.
According to Umoh, Nigerian fish industry can only produce 1.2 million metric tons of fish from industrial, artisanal and aquaculture sub-sectors.
Umoh, who said that Nigeria had benefited from Phase 1 of the FISHGOV project, and the success was glaring, expressed optimism that the Phase 2 would also boost fish production in Nigeria.
“The Minister of Agriculture has a very big passion for fishing production because we believe that fish is the cheapest source of protein and the total fish for the country is more than 3.6 metric tons.
“But we are not able to meet up this target because of some of the issues that we are going to be discussing in this dialogue.
“We are only able to produce about 1.2 metric tons in all the sub- sectors in the industrial, the aquaculture, and also the artisanal sub sector,” he said.
In the area of achievement, Umoh said the Fisheries Department had licensed 164 fishing vessels, through the Nigerian Territorial Waters and the Economic Zones.
He further said that to safeguard the health of Nigerians, the Federal Department of Fisheries had drafted inspectors to ensure importers follow due process before selling the commodity to Nigerians.
“Frozen fish is good because before frozen fish is brought into the country, we have what we call task certificate; we have to certify where are they bringing this frozen fish, what is the health status, how is being stored, we inspect the cold-room.
“We have inspectors in Lagos, Abuja and others who go there to certify that the frozen fish being brought into the country is in very good condition,” he said.
He said that government had also installed monitoring systems in Abuja and also one in Lagos to monitor the activities of the fishing vessels.
“In the artisanal sub sector, we have been able to register the canoes and build up the capacity of artisanal farmers as well as supplying them with inputs, canoes, fishing gears and other equipment that will help them to increase their production.
“In the aquaculture sub sector, we have established what we call fish farm estates, feeds farm clusters, and other activities that will stimulate the aquaculture production in Nigeria.
“We have also intervened on the whole value chain in terms of the production, processing and also the marketing structure
“We have also provided processing equipment, storage equipment and enhanced a structured market facilities that will help the aquaculture sub sector to grow,” he said.
Speaking with newsmen, African Union Commission, AUC, Ms Panduleni Elago, promised that Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, CAADP would support artisanal fish farmers and small scale fish farmers to bridge the gap existing fish demand in Nigeria.
Elago, who is CAADP Advisor, said fish is one of the healthiest and cheapest proteins to human being.
“Fish is one of the healthiest and cheapest proteins to human being, and as we strive to end hunger in Africa by 2025, we also seek to support all those involve in the fisheries sector; small scale farmers, the non-state actors and civil societies,” he said.
The Government has therefore licenced 164 vessels to operate on territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
Mr Umoh said this was one of the achievement recorded by of the Department in its activities saying local production had been boosted.
” For the artisanal, we help them with training, provide inputs, which we do lake enhancement, which we take fingerlings to boost some water bodies that lack fish.
“For aquaculture, we normally establish fish farm estates, where we establish it for youths and women, and also provide them with feed because of the flood we had in 2020 in collaboration with National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
“We are intervening in 15 states providing fish feeds, fingerlings, nets, canoe, and that is what is going on presently in Nigeria.
“On industrial, we install Vessel Monitoring System, VMS, not to finish everything of the artisanal.
“What we do is in collaboration with Navy and other security agencies when we install the equipment in the vessels so that we will be able to monitor what they are doing; the type of fish, vessels that is being used, equipment that is being brought into the country.
“For example, they can use the vessels for smuggling and every other activity.
” We have to prevent all these from the trawlers being used for other obnoxious activities.” he said.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDANEPAD), Nardos Thomas , represented by the Acting Head of Food Security Unit/AUDA-NEPAD FishGov-2 Project Coordinator, Cheikh N’dongo, said the FISHGOV project was funded with thtee million dollars to support member states.
He said the essence of the dialogue, was to help sensitise Africans about what stakeholders were doing to advance the fisheries and aquaculture sectors for Africa’s social and economic transformation.
“We have come to support our member states, regional communities in the work that we need to do on fisheries and aquaculture on the continent,” he said.
Speaking with newsmen, African Union Commission, AUC, Ms Panduleni Elago, promised that Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, CAADP would support artisanal fish farmers and small scale fish farmers to bridge the gap existing fish demand in Nigeria.
Elago who is CAADP Advisor, said fish is one of the healthiest and cheapest proteins to human being.
” Fish is one of the healthiest and cheapest proteins to human being, and as we strive to end hunger in Africa by 2025 we also seek to support all those involvement in the fisheries sector; small scale farmers, the non-state actors, Civil Societies,” she said.
