Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has inaugurated the newly-elected executive members of the National Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria (NFAN) urging them to double their efforts to meet production deficit.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, who spoke during the ceremony in Abuja, recently, said government would continue to support farmers to increase food sufficiency in the country.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Sunday Edet Akpan, Adebayo encouraged them to remain committed as one body and to carry every member along.
“The fact that they have gathered themselves and planned their association is great. And with this kind of association whose targets and objectives would increase the production of quality fish to boost export value very soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, National President of NFAN, Gabriel Ogunsanya, disclosed that the association would introduce new species of fish, not only to feed the nation, but to create jobs for the youths.
“We will try to introduce more species of fish to increase productivity. Formerly, we were using more of catfish. Now we want to enter into other species like tilapia. We will not allow illegal fishing again because other people come to our coasts to fish illegally. We will make all connections to ensure that our officers work with relevant agencies to stop the illegal business. We have more than five million members across the country and we want to use fish industry to generate jobs for the youths. We have trained more than 6,000 youths in fish farming in the South-west, and applied to the Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.