Agric Stakeholders Urges LASG To Review, Enforce Fishing Laws
Agricultural stakeholders in Lagos State have urged the State Government to review and enforce fishing laws on fishing practices for both artisanal and cultured fishing in the State just as it commended the Government for its on-going initiatives in the fishery value chain.
The Stakeholders made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day Agricultural Stakeholders Summit organised by the State Ministry of Agriculture that had in attendance 120 participants made up of 30 Government officials, 21 Bank Officials, 12 representatives from different farms and 57 from Agro- processing and Agricultural related companies.
They also called for the upgrading of the existing Fish Farm Estates with modern infrastructure that will ease the deployment of technologies especially the Ketu Ereyun Fish farm and appealed to the State Government to facilitate the emergence of business model that will make Farm Estates attractive to high net worth investors/operators.
According to them, the State Government should also help fish farmers in the State to facilitate the granting of a single digit interest loan for the acquisition of inputs and production assets under the Fishery Value Chain in order to further help the growth of the sector.
“On Cage and Pen Culture fish farming, the Summit noted the drive of the Lagos State Government for the optimal utilization of abundant water bodies especially but not limited to the introduction of the Cage and Pen Fish Culture Technology into the Lagos State Fishing system and, that this effort be upgraded to encourage Private Sector Participation,” the participants at the Stakeholders noted.
The Stakeholders stressed the need for the adoption of improved technology in order to attract the youths to farming just as they recommended the deployment of modern technologies along artisanal fishery value chain as the number of people dealing in it is depleting due to aging without commensurate replenishment.
“The Summit called for increased investment in the downstream end (storage, processing, preservation, marketing etc) of the fishery value chain by both Public and Private Sectors. The Summit enjoined Government to further promote and protect fish value chain in Lagos State in collaboration with Private Sector through activities like the Sea Food Festival, and as a matter of necessity, make it an annual event starting from December 2019,” the Summit averred.
The Summit called on the State Government to create an enabling environment for stakeholders in obtaining certification of their products from regulatory bodies, especially for export purposes and further advised on the need to reduce tariff on importation of fish feed and as a matter of urgency work with the private sector on the establishment of a fish feed factory in Lagos State.
“On value addition, the Summit noted the comparative advantage that the State has in fish production and enjoined the private sector to invest in the fish value addition like filleting, smoking, and freezing. Government should look into technology that can facilitate freezing catfish to preserve it for sale. The Summit concluded that there is the need to provide online markets for stakeholders in the fisheries sector,” the Stakeholders opined.
On the poultry and piggery value chains, the Summit appreciated the efforts of the State Government in these two value chains especially the Estates initiatives but added that the Estates need to be upgraded and called for an increased empowerment of value chains actors in terms of input, production assets and infrastructural support.
They one-day Agricultural Stakeholders Summit considered several issues of importance relating to Agriculture and food security with a view to developing strategies to be employed in making sure that the State attains sustainable food security and improved nutrition, employment generation and wealth creation through a combination of business and development platforms in partnership with the private sector.
