In a bid to address the huge deficit in fish production and ensure food sufficiency in Lagos, the state government has disclosed its plan to add about 60,000 metric tons to the state’s current quantity of fish.
Lagos Commissioner of Agriculture Abisola Olusanya made this known while speaking with journalists about the 2020 Lagos Seafood Festival, which has been themed “Harnessing Lagos Seafood Potentials in a Post-COVID Economy.”
Lagos State, with a population of over 22 million people, demands about 400,000 tons of fish per annum, whereas it currently produces 174,000, resulting in an annual deficit of over 226,000 metric tons.
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Wide investment opportunities therefore exist within the fish value chain given the present supply deficit, which is being met through importation, devouring an enormous amount of foreign exchange. This especially now that the need to increase the exportation of non-oil commodities is mounting in order to earn foreign exchange for Nigeria.
Olusanya explained that the Lagos Seafood Festival was established in 2012 with the aim of stimulating investors’ interest in the fisheries subsector and showcasing the state’s aquaculture and seafood potentials to local and international markets.
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“In terms of the target, we just ended our five-year master plan roadmap strategy document which will be unveiled by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the plan is to cover the deficit by a certain percentage.
“Already, the Lagos Aquaculture Center for Excellence which was mentioned during Mr. Governor’s budget reading states that for the project alone, we should be adding over 60,000 metric tonnes of fish, both fingerlings and table size production to what exists already in Lagos,” she added.
