By Sylvanus Obasi
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Hon Adegboyega Oyetola is not happy with the current dependence of Nigerians on fish importation hence plans to halt the trend through aggressive pursuit of local production, to meet the rising consumption level amongst Nigerians.
Platform Reporters gathered that speaking at a high level Consultative Meeting with Fisheries Cooperative Groups in Abuja, Oyetola outlined a bold vision aimed at transforming the nation’s aquaculture sector into a powerhouse of food security, employment and export competitiveness.
Declaring that Nigerians must chart a new course towards self sufficiency in fish production, the Minister emphasized that the federal government was greatly committed to supporting the fisheries and aquaculture subsector through policy, technical support and financial inclusion.
The meeting, convened by the Minister, brought together leaders and members of major fisheries and aquaculture Associations including the Fisheries Cooperatives Federation of Nigeria, Farmers Association of Nigeria, Women in Fish Farming and Aquaculture/ Practicing Farmers Association of Nigeria.
Chief Oyetola however announced that the Ministry was intensifying efforts to support women and youths in the fisheries sector, while also stating that, start – up grants and other empowerment initiatives are already in the pipeline.
He noted that the move aligned with the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda which prioritizes youth engagement and economic diversification.
During the interactive session, the participants raised a wide range of pressing challenges currently facing the sector.
They include overfishing, environmental degradation, lack of access to affordable finance, post – harvest losses, inadequate cold storage facilities, poor transportation and markets linkages.
Others are low youth involvement, multiple taxation by the Local Authorities and the rising costs of imported fish feeds
In his response, the Minster had given them a strong assurance that, his Ministry is already engaging Stakeholders, both local and international, to tackle the identified issues head on, even as he is discussing with the World Bank, to secure finance support for fish farmers whilst the Ministry is also collaborating with the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation to ensure affordable and accessible insurance coverage for fish farmers across the country.
