The Anambra state government has commenced moves to create a fishery village just as it has also set up the Anambra State Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Agency, FABDA, with a view to tapping the huge revenue projection from its investment in the fishery sub-sector.
Speaking to journalists at the recently concluded conference of the Chartered Institute of Transportation Administration in Nigeria, CIOTA, held in Abuja, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FABDA, Emeka Iloghalu, said that the fisheries and aquaculture sector has immense revenue potential that is yet untapped adding that there is a huge gap between demand and production. Iloghalu also said that the Pilot Fish Production Village Franchise Projects being built in the three Senatorial Zones of the state is a creative move in line with the strategies for realizing the state government’s vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture industry much beyond the state.
He said: “FABDA is the Agency mandated by the Anambra State Law to coordinate the Fisheries and Aquaculture Economy and grow the GDP of fish while promoting and supporting the Fisheries and Aquaculture Businesses in tandem with the organized private sector. FABDA is currently repositioning the Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry for effective and efficient governance, regulation, productivity and growth – and in achieving this objective. Stakeholders were engaged in an innovation platform where the vision and mission for industrial development was created. The fisheries and aquaculture value chain, stakeholders and actors were organized and a leadership structure was established for them – with a President operating like the Chambers of Commerce.”
“Full and Corporate operations were incorporated in all the distinct segments of the aquaculture and fish production and they included the value chain, brood stock production/development, fingerlings production, table fish production, fish feed production and trading. Equipment fabrication, fish processing, fish products packaging, ponds construction, finance and investment, fisheries products marketing, fisheries logistics, fisheries information dissemination, veterinary and fish health were all in the package. We have made tremendous progress in Nigeria in the catfish business, we are progressing and we have a great future with sustained hard work. Will other states in the federation follow suit?
