Nigeria's annual demand for fish has been put at a whooping 3.5m by a report that I am currently working on most of which is met by importation.
1. Do you know of any stakeholder of that subsector in Nigeria that can be categorized as a big supplier of locally produced fish in the same country?
2. What is the capacity of fish such stakeholder can produce in Nigeria?
Please note that this question is not asking about importation capabilities.
They are enormous. Employment opportunities, rich protien, food security, etc
The African Regional Aquaculture Centre (ARAC), Port Harcourt, established in 1980 by FAO, UNDP and the Federal Govt of Nigeria/NOIMR produced until 1987 end, over 80 PG Diploma of FAO/UNDP/NIOMR, who were subsequently awarded M. Tech. (Aquaculture) Degree of the Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Port Harcourt. Subsequent to 1987, when FAO/UNDP discontinued funding support, the Nigerian Government continued supporting ARAC, but I do not know how many M. Tech. graduates in aquaculture were produced subsequently. Among these ARAC post-graduates several must be still continuing aquaculture development work in Nigeria.
Less from an economic but from a sociological and ecological point of view, aquaculture can be a key contribution to prevent that Nigeria becomes the next Somalia, as EU trawlers are depleting the West African fish stocks. Additionally it may stabilize the integrity of Nigerias terrestrial ecosystems as less bush meat needs to be hunted, the latter being a consequence of depleted fish resources.
Nigeria is a populous country and its total animal protein requirements are high and hence possibly the high consumption of bush meat. The available wild fish for food is not adequate, perhaps partly due the export of wild marine fish catches. The major way as proved in Asia especially in China and partly in India and some other Asian countries is to promote aquaculture, beyond capture fisheries. Aquaculture is easy to practise and surely Nigeria has the needed resources. Both rural and industrial aquaculture need to be promoted.
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