The National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN), in Abuja, recently appealed to the Federal Government to extend its intervention programmes to the fisheries sub-sector, to boost fish production in the country.

The National Publicity Secretary of the association, Mr. Chidike Ukoh, who made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said it was equally important to cut down on import bills that the country had been incurring in agro produce.

Ukoh, who lamented the long period of neglect of the fisheries industry, said that the quest for government intervention was prompted by the necessity to boost fish production in order to meet domestic demand. He urged the Federal Government to set up an inter-ministerial committee, to interface with the association, to chart a way forward in growing the aquaculture industry.

Mr. Ukoh said: “what we can do differently is to create agricultural fish platforms, and for the government to reason with us; as we have raised many memos and we have spoken about certain things that we need to grow the industry from our level, but the government needs to bring appropriate funding to us.”

“We are not demanding for cash to go and share; let us deploy the resources to where it can yield agro businesses and be able to have good returns on investments. About 90 per cent of the fish industry operators, like the rural fish farmers are in the rural communities, which have been neglected.” “We have the artisanal fisheries and aquaculture industries, which is the main thing that every economy wants to develop and sustain.” World Stage News