Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFAN) says it is ready for increased productivity in 2022.
The National President of CAFAN, Mr. Sunday Onoja, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
Onoja said that catfish farmers across the country were ready to take steps to boost productivity and profitability in 2022.
“As an association, we have decided to make every day to count in the aquaculture subsector, especially in catfish business.
“We want catfish farmers to be up and doing and get things right.
“We used last year as a case study; now, we understand our problem in catfish business.
“This year, we want farmers to take catfish farming as a business with sustainable goals, not as a hobby,” the president told NAN.
Onoja said that the potential of catfish business could be harnessed to increase the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and create jobs.
According to him, to harness the profitability of the subsector, catfish farmers should locally source raw materials for fish feed production rather than rely on importation.
“We want to build the sector to have enough capacity to create jobs, increase the nation’s GDP via its contributions and create wealth as well as a viable source of livelihood for many.
“In the closest future, Nigeria’s agriculture sector will be the nation’s stream of steady income; hence, the need to harness every aspect, especially aquaculture and catfish farming in particular.
“At the Catfish Farmers National conference in December 2021, we spoke to ourselves, discovered our mistakes and looked for ways not to repeat the mistakes in 2022.
“We hope for enhanced productivity and profitability for catfish farming in 2022,’’ he said.
The CAFAN president told NAN that part of the association’s resolutions in 2021 was to look inwards to source raw materials for feed production.
“If we can utilize local materials for feed production, we will be able to produce our fish feeds at lower rates while maximizing profitability,” Onoja said.
He also called for improved relationship among catfish farmers.
“No catfish farmer is an island; we need each other to succeed.
“We also hope to build capacity among us by embarking on relevant trainings, conferences and symposiums to boost productivity in catfish business and value chain,” he said. (NAN)
