Fish farming is profitable if farmers have the right resources, which include good management skill and sufficient capital, say experts.The Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, University of Ibadan (UI) has introduced a sustainable aquaculture entrepreneurship practices and agricultural techniques course for fish farmers. The focus of the UI’s one-month training, supported by the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria), is to assist farmers to succeed, DANIEL ESSIET reports.
Segun Oke, an Abuja resident’s dreams is to raise fish and make money from the venture. Many people are in the business. So, he thinks about starting his one.
But his job and other activities will not allow him realise his dream. He knows that if he starts a fish farm, he may not be able to manage it well, especially as he lacks the skills.
He has read, seen and heard of grounded fish farms. Nigeria faces vast aquaculture entrepreneurship challenges with so many fish businesses closing shops, the reports added.
However, the University of Ibadan (UI) has come to the rescue of these people. To develop entrepreneurship in freshwater aquaculture and provide entrepreneurs a platform to acquire ideas, its Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, has lend a helping hand by holding a workshop on sustainable aquaculture entrepreneurship practices and agricultural techniques. The aim is to help Nigerians practise profitable fish farming.
The workshop is attended being by entrepreneurs drawn from across the country. Oke is one of the 30 participants. He is satisfied with the training that will launch him into a successful aquaculture business.
So far, 120 Nigerians have been selected by West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) to benefit from the training, which will be done in batches.
•Oluwarotmi
Head of Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, UI, Prof Bamidele Oluwarotimi Omitoyin, said each participant would be given a fish-smoking kiln. They would also get free seeds to enable them start their businesses after the programme. The kilns, according to him, have the capacity to smoke 50-kg fish. New farmers, he said, could do fish smoking for others while they wait for their stocks to mature. During the event, new farmers were linked with successful farmers to share ideas on how to run their businesses.
He said they would be taught how to build fish ponds and make money from offering such services in their communities. The pond construction segment, he said, holds special potential for the nation’s aquaculture system— as many Nigerians would benefit from a more efficient, higher-yielding practice for fish farming. The training on pond construction take cues from local techniques of maintaining natural water flow. He said the future for profitable aquaculture appears bright with fish farming and associated industries expanding across the economy.
Omitoyin said the essence of the training was to prepare the entrepreneurs for the domestic market with the curriculum aimed at developing new technologies and fostering new profit models for aquaculture.
Omitoyin also said the workshop was intended to instil confidence in the entrepreneur on technologies and hand holding which would be carried on till the goal was achieved and the value chain operation completed.
He said entrepreneurs should use proven fish culture technology, including pond construction size, storage reservoirs, to fill properly constructed fish culture ponds.
Omitoyin said fish farming training had successful at the institution and that they train people to start both small and big businesses. He said the institution has helped the industry to overcome major challenges.
He said so far, the institution has made farmers to use local materials to prepare their feed, and that it is becoming easier for the aquaculture sector to achieve additional gains to maintain production growth and earnings.
He also said the institution was seeking solutions for increasing value creation in the seafood industry. He said the institution was ready to provide new entrants detailed economic analysis of various fish culture enterprises, including start up and operating costs. These estimates of return, however, vary depending on the skills of the fish farmer, actual cost of production, prices, and, most importantly, marketing strategy, offering opportunity for reasonable profits on investment.
•Chikwendu
The National Project Coordinator, WAAPP-Nigeria, Prof. Damian Chikwendu, said the programme is sponsoring the training to create jobs and a new generation of aquaculture entrepreneurs.
Chikwendu, who was represented by Dr Oludare Adeogun, said fish farming, like other business enterprises, requires adequate entrepreneurship training to make informed economic decisions on purchases of feed, fingerlings and related items or strategies to optimise returns from the market place.
According to him, fish farming is central to addressing food needs. At the same time, producing affordable food for Nigerians is a cornerstone of the programme’s plans.
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