By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Cage Culture System of Catfish Farming introduced by Lagos State government to empower 60 youths at Agbowa-Ikosi Beach has yielded over 50tons of harvested fish for sale in Ikosi-Ejinrin Local Government Development Area.
The project is a new fish farming technology introduced by the state government to increase fish production and create more jobs through training and empowerment of youths in the State.
Speaking on the project, Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Oluwatoyin Suarau expressed great delight at witnessing the success of the programme, while encouraging the youths to be focussed on building a future for themselves in fish farming.
He said the Cage Culture System of Fish Farming is one of the ways employed by the present administration to maximize the benefit of the abundance of water resources which accounts for about 22 percent of the State’s landmass.
Mr Suarau pointed out that the declining catch per unit effort of fishermen informed the policy shift of government from capture fisheries to fish farming otherwise known as Aquaculture.
According to him, “Lately the use of concrete fish ponds in upland areas has gained wide acceptance and now the State has introduced the Cage Culture System by rearing the fish in their natural water bodies; this makes fish farming inexpensive, easier and less stressful.”
The Commissioner noted that 3,000 fishes are to be harvested at the Agbowa-Ikosi fish farm with an average harvest of 1.2kg per day, and that the project will soon be replicated in all the riverine areas of the state including Badagry, Eti-Osa, Ikorodu and Epe Local Government areas.
In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Food Security, Mr Sanni Ganiyu Okanlawon congratulated the 60 participants for their success and implored other youths in the State to take advantage of the Cage Culture initiative since the State Government is ready to support and partner with anyone or group that is willing to contribute to the food security agenda of the State.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Olayiwole Onasanya applauded the local community, especially the leaders, for supporting the novel initiative right from the installation stage.
While describing the system as an environment-friendly way of increasing fish supply in the State as well as a way of increasing foreign exchange which is spent on fish importation, Mr Onasanya emphasised that the project is bound to create employment opportunities directly and indirectly in the community.
Adedapo Adesanya