FG Will Soon Ban Fish Importation - Minister

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said on Tuesday that the Federal Government would soon place a total ban on the importation of fish and other aquatic consumables.

Adesina said this in Ado-Ekiti during the inauguration of the Special Growth Enhancement Support scheme for fisheries and the aquaculture value chain, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

He, however, said that the ban would be imposed only if arrangements being put in place by the government to that effect worked as planned.

The minister, represented by the Federal Director of Fisheries, Mrs. Foluke Areola, said the country had no business importing fish, given its huge natural and renewable resources.

He said it was in view of this that the ministry was promoting increased fish production through the aquaculture value chain.

This is in pursuance of the goal of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government, he said

"The value chains are to create an enabling environment for increased and sustainable production of over one million tonnes of fish within the next four years, generate employment and pursue gradual reduction of fish imports," the minister said.

Adesina noted that the aquaculture value chain, under its four-year implementation plan, would increase the annual production of fingerlings in the country by 1.25 billion tonnes.
- The Punch