The British-American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) has again donated additional 250kg coal smoking-kilns to fish farmers in Lagos State in a renewed initiative to boost fish production in Nigeria.
Making the donation at the end of a capacity building training on production and processing of catfish at the weekend in Lagos, the Executive Director of BATNF, Mrs Abimbola Okoya, said the donation was to assist in the effort to facilitate processing of fish for consumption.
Okoya, who did not put a value to the cost of the kilns, lamented that in spite of huge resources in aquaculture, marine and freshwater fisheries, Nigeria had yet to meet its domestic fish consumption needs.
BATNF had made a similar donation to farmers in Lagos State two years ago, pledging that farmers in other parts of the country would also benefit from the gesture.
The latest training, held at the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority at Oko-Oba in Agege, near Lagos, was organised by the agency in collaboration with BATNF.
According to Okoya, the fisheries sub-sector recorded 33. 3 per cent growth in 2019, compared with 1.64 per cent growth recorded in 2018.
“The saying: ‘No Farmer, no Nation’ describes the importance of farmers because without well-nourished meals none of us will be here.
“But beyond providing nutritious food items, farmers are the pillars of the agricultural sector, which is the future of Nigeria after oil.
“Fishing is an important contributor to the population’s nutritional requirements, constituting about 50 per cent of animal protein intake.”
Okoya said that the training presented opportunities for small-holder farmers to increase their income by switching from low to high-value fish production.
She said that high-value fishery production was time-bound and had its market risk with fluctuating prices, noting that it was necessary to seek new and innovative ways to bridge the gap.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, commended BATNF for its continuous support to agriculture in Lagos State.
