FG: Nigeria short of 2.2 million tonnes of fish every year

Nigeria imports about $1bn of fish a year to cover a 2.2 million-tonne gap, and a $200m World Bank-backed plan aims to close it.

Nigeria is grappling with an annual fish supply deficit of more than 2.2 million tonnes, as domestic production remains well below national demand, the Federal Government has disclosed, Punch reports.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, said this in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser, Dr Bolaji Akinola. The statement announced a $200m World Bank-backed initiative to expand fish production.

According to the ministry, Nigeria needs about 3.6 million tonnes of fish a year but produces only 1.4 million tonnes. The shortfall is largely covered through imports costing close to $1bn annually. Local production meets about 39 per cent of the requirement.

“No nation can call itself food secure while it imports most of the fish it eats. Our ambition is to produce more, import less and, in time, become a net exporter,” Oyetola said.

The World Bank Group has committed $200m for fisheries and aquaculture, to reach states through concessional loans. Oyetola said national production had risen from 1.1 million to 1.4 million tonnes, about 27.3 per cent.