Fish production: Obasanjo laments high cost of diesel, fish feeds

He said that unless the farmers come together to agree on sustainable prices that could be adopted, many fish farmers will be bankrupt.

According to the former president who is also into fish farming, “farmers can no longer be producing at the mercy of the buyers who will come around to buy the fish for whatever amount that suit them without taking into account the effect of the current economic effect on the production of such fishes”.

Speaking at the congress of the

South-West Fish Farmers Price Sustainability Group, held inside the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, (OOPL) Abeokuta, Obasanjo disclosed that “now is the time for the fish farmers to agree on minimum price they intend selling their fish per kilogram henceforth”.

He posited that with the current price of diesel at 800 per litre, production of a kilogram of fish is N1,400 and that to make very marginal profit, the farmers can’t sell less than N1,500 as anything different is outright loss.

“We are practically here today to ensure our sustainability in the fishing business and what we have to do by selling at profitable price. If we don’t come together as an association, nationally, we will sink individually. If we come together, we will swim and survive together.

“And while we are working on coming together, I thought that the situation has arisen  whereby we have to do something urgently.

“The price of diesel has gone sky high because the management of this country is not what it should be. And it is as simple as that. Then, what will happen is that, particularly those of us who have to use a bit of diesel in producing fish, we will completely go bankrupt, and when that happens, Nigerians will still have to eat fish.

“Fish production will be out of reach and then, people will be producing fish outside Nigeria and be dumping it here. And you will go jobless, poor and indigent. So, what do we have to do? To come together, sustain fish production and we must be able to take care of those who are going to eat and those of us who are producing”. Obasanjo stated.

The President of South-West Fish Farmers Price Sustainability Group, Mr Amo Tunbosun Amo, disclosed that the country currently consumes around 3.6 million metric tonnes of fish annually but only produce 1.12 million tonnes leaving a balance of 2.6 millions tonnes to be imported.

He explained that one of the major challenges confronting the fish farmers is the continued increase in the prices of inputs in the production of fish, majorly the feed and the refusal of the buyers to buy the fish at commensurate price.

He, however, urged the Federal Government to help dredge various waterways to prevent floods that have made many fish farmers lose millions of their investment.

“For instance, the Ikangba/Agoro fish farmers via Ijebu Ode recently lost over N500m investment, same thing happened at Eriwe too last year leading to loss of N600m. The Federal Government should help to dredge Eriwe waterways as well as Yemule River to combat this annual terrible losses”.

Steve Okeleji, the convener of the congress said the fish farmers have decided to come together to rescue the industry.

“We have to come together to see how we can rescue our industry. It’s now very obvious to us that if we don’t do something fast, the aquaculture industry in Nigeria will be submerged.

“We are going to come out with recommendations after our meeting, and we are going to use the goodwill of our father, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who also has a huge investment in the sector, for the government for them to help us”. He submitted.