ApriL 15, 2019
The Director of Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and
Marine Research Lagos, Dr. Adekunle Oresegun, has disclosed that Nigeria spends
about $1 billion annually on the importation of fish.
He stated this in Abakaliki during a four-day vocational
training and empowerment on aquaculture production and fish post harvest for
youths and women from Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal constituency in Ebonyi State.
Oresegun said the 40 participants drawn from the area were
part of the constituency project of the House of Representatives Committee
chairman of Agricultural Colleges and Institution, Hon. Linus Okorie.
The director noted that Nigeria has great potentials for
fish production, which if harnessed properly, would save the country about
$1billion expended on fish importation.
He said: “The truth of the matter is that Nigeria spends
about one billion dollars annually on importation of fish. Because of our fish
production deficiency in Nigeria, we want to increase the number of people who
have the knowledge and skills to farm fish. The intention of this vocational
training is to increase fish production.
“There are two ways to approach it: to increase production
by increasing the number of people into fish production; to genetically modify
the fish for productivity.
“The metric tons of fish production in Nigeria are below the
demand and consumption of fish and so we are still at the infancy in
popularising fish production”.
Oresegun further called on the Federal government to create
enabling environment that will make fish production popular in Nigeria.
Okorie represented by his Senior Legislative Aide, Wilson
Okereke noted that the training was part of the measures of the lawmaker to
engage some youths of the constituency into meaningful businesses.
He admonished the participants to utilise the opportunity
and engage in fish production to become self- reliant stressing that incentives
would be provided for the participants for the production of fish.
No comments:
Post a Comment