Abstract
A major agricultural sub-sector where achieving food security has become elusive in Nigeria is the fish production subsector. Demand for fish in Nigeria stands at about 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum while domestic production is just 511,700 metric tonnes. The wide gap between demand and supply is attributed to increasing population, improved nutrition, underdeveloped local fish farming potentials and depletion of artisanal sources resulting from unsustainable fishing. The nation spends about N150 billion (US$1billion) annually to bridge the gap between supply and demand. This huge amount spent annually constitutes enormous strain and drain on the nation’s foreign reserves especially when the potentials for local production to meet the domestic market and for export exist in abundance. Consequently, several policy measures have been put in place to stimulate local fish farming. Till date, the results from the colossal investment and policy have not yielded the desired results. Hence, this study attempted to examine the factors determining the sustainability of fish farming in Nigeria with a view to stimulating private investment in the sector, meet national market demand through domestic production and export the excess to enhance the income of farmers. Regression and budgetary analyses were used to analyze data obtained from 100 fish farmers in ten local government areas of Osun State. The result showed that the average net income in the study area was N318,640.75 while the gross margin was N457,327.95. The benefit-cost ratio was 1.5 indicating that for every N100 invested, the enterprise yields additional N50. The regression analysis showed that experience of farmers in fish farming, quantity of feed used, access to credit and size of pond were significant determinants of fish farm production in Nigeria. Major challenges confronting fish farming in the study area are lack of access to credit, high cost of inputs and poor extension services. Key words: Fish farming, inland waters, nutrition, employment, poverty, sustainable, pond.
Highlights
In spite of her enormous oil wealth, Nigeria is confronted with a number of developmental challenges especially in the areas of reducing poverty which currently stands at nearly 75% of its population; providing jobs for her teeming unemployed youths, estimated at about 39.9 million going by an unemployment rate of 23.9% (Business Day, 2012); and meeting adequate nutritive requirement of its 167 million people
Welcome (1979) reported that there are about 1.5 million hectares of floodplains and swampland in the Niger Delta hydro-ecological zone which are suitable for fish farming and can produce about 60,000 metric tonnes of fish per year
Fish farming is a major strategy of government to reduce poverty, generate employment for the teeming unemployed and meet the nutritional needs of the Nigerian people
Summary
In spite of her enormous oil wealth, Nigeria is confronted with a number of developmental challenges especially in the areas of reducing poverty which currently stands at nearly 75% of its population; providing jobs for her teeming unemployed youths, estimated at about 39.9 million going by an unemployment rate of 23.9% (Business Day, 2012); and meeting adequate nutritive requirement of its 167 million people. Nigeria has over 14 million hectares of inland water surface out of which 1.7 million are available and suitable for aquaculture (FAO, 2006b). According to Tobor (1990), there are about 1.75 million hectares of suitable land for fish farming in Nigeria and 25% of this will yield 656,820 tonnes of fish per year when placed under cultivation. Shimang (2005) reiterates this point further when he pointed out that Nigeria has a vast network of inland waters like rivers, floodplains, natural and man-made lakes totaling about 12.5 million hectares and capable of producing 512,000 metric tonnes of fish annually. Welcome (1979) reported that there are about 1.5 million hectares of floodplains and swampland in the Niger Delta hydro-ecological zone which are suitable for fish farming and can produce about 60,000 metric tonnes of fish per year. About 6,450 tonnes of fish can be produced annually from 75,000 hectares of coastal lagoons (Kapetsky, 1981)
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