The Lagos State Government has empowered 40 youth fish farmers in the sea caging culture system in Afowo Community, in Badagry, with 40 cages of 1,000 juvenile catfish per cage. This is under the Cage Culture Project, an economical use of open water to develop aquaculture and improve nutrition.

Prince Gbolahan Lawal, The State Commissioner for Agriculture, who disclosed this at a recent inspection tour of the facility, explained that the Cage Culture System of Fish Farming is one of the ways being championed by the State Government to maximize the benefits of the abundance of water resources in the State which accounted for about 22 percent of the State’s landmass.

Lawal described the system as an environmental friendly way of increasing fish supply in the state as well as saving precious foreign exchange which is spent on fish importation, adding that the cage culture would create employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly. He explained that the cage culture system was a cheaper method of fish rearing, which allows for fish to be reared in their natural habitat, stressing that no fewer than 40,000 fishes would be harvested at the Afowo fish farm, Badagry, at the end of the 4-month rearing period.

He said: “I am particularly happy and satisfied that the local community has shown her unflinching support for this initiative right from the installation stage. I am even more delighted that the cages were constructed with native material and the fish would be fed just like in concrete fish ponds.”

Lawal further noted that the caging project is a continuous one with farming sites in the riverine areas of the state, including Eti-Osa, Ikorodu, Ojo and Epe local government areas. P.M News