Fish Import: Nigeria spends N125 billion annually

 

With a national fish demand of about 2.1 million metric tonnes per annum and a domestic production estimated at about 800,000 metric tonnes, Nigeria has a shortfall of about 1.3 million metric tonnes. This situation has left Nigeria with the option of importing an estimated 1.9 million metric tonnes of fish valued at over N125 billion per annum.

Policies put in place over the years by successive administrations to boost local production through artisanal and industrial capture fisheries and aquaculture production have fallen short of tackling this ugly trend that has continued to fritter away Nigeria’s foreign exchange.

Fisheries sub-sector analysts maintain that fish farmers and fisher folks have not been adequately motivated and assisted by the government to go all out to the field and put in their best to pull the country out of dependency on Asian countries and others that flood Nigerian market with all sorts of frozen fishes.

Some of the imported fishes are said to be poisonous and pose a serious threat to health of Nigerian consumers who are not even aware of the status of the fishes they are consuming.

A former President of the Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON), Dr Abba Y. Abdullah, told our reporter that some of the imported fishes have been found to contain some poisonous substances and as such importation of fish should be discouraged so as to encourage local production stressed that bridging the fish demand and supply gap in Nigeria requires a lot of commitment from the government and other stakeholders.

“Mere calling people to come and invest in the fisheries sub-sector will not work. Proper fisheries policies, adequate laws and regulations among others must be put in place by the government to attract investors into the sub-sector. Investors want to be sure that their businesses are protected,” Dr Abdullah stressed. 

 But the Agriculture Minister, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, maintains that even in the face of the wide demand and supply gap, the government has put in place the right policies and created enabling environment targeted at shoring up local production. “We don’t have to import what we can produce on our land,” the minister said.

Reports indicate that a new policy thrust fashioned out by the government has mandated companies importing fish into the country to demonstrate their commitment towards local production by investing in the Nigerian fisheries value chain.

In line with the policy, Triton Group, a foreign conglomerate operating in 10 countries, has unveiled its plan to invest about $64million in Nigerian aquaculture in the next five to seven years.

Disclosing this recently in Abuja at a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Triton Group, Ashrin Samtani, said the investment will initially take off with $4.1million in Lagos and Oyo States saying that “ the money will be invested in tilapia production in cages, catfish production in ponds, fingerlings production in state of the art hatcheries and feed milling among others”

He urged the government to put in place the right kind of environment and support for the company and other investors coming on board to achieve their targets.  “Triton’s contribution to Nigerian economy through the initiative will be local production of 70,000 metric tonnes of fish annually, generation of 3,000 jobs and foreign exchange conservation of $85million per year.”