Lagos govt supports fish farmers, empowers 40 youths

The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it empowered youth fish farmers in Afowo community, in the Badagry area of the state, with 40 cages, each containing 1,000 juvenile catfish.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, said the initiative was under the Cage Culture Project, an economical use of open water to develop aquaculture and improve nutrition.

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Lawal explained that the cage culture system of fish farming was one of the ways being championed by the state government to maximise the abundance of water resources in Lagos, which accounted for about 22 per cent of its landmass.

He described the system as an environment-friendly way of increasing fish supply as well as increasing foreign exchange spent on fish importation.

The commissioner added that the cage culture would create employment opportunities both directly and indirectly.

According to him, the system is a cheaper method of rearing fish in their natural habitat, stressing that no fewer than 40,000 fishes will be harvested at the Afowo fish farm, Badagry, at the end of the four-month rearing period.

“I am particularly happy and satisfied that the local community has shown unflinching support for this initiative right from the installation stage. I am even more delighted that the cages were constructed with native materials and the fish would be fed just like in concrete fish ponds,” Lawal added.

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He implored fish farmers in the state to take advantage of the cage culture initiative, adding that the government was ready to support them.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, a fish farmer, Mrs Ladega Grace, said the empowerment was a proof of government’s commitment to improving the standard of living of rural fish farmers through natural endowments. Punch

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