By Omotayo Edubi
The Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFAN) has attributed poor budgetary outlay on the part of local fish farmers as the major challenge of the sector.
The association’s chairman, Mr Sunday Onoja, said this in an interview in Lagos.
The chairman said that inadequate budget outlay had led to the collapse of many fish farms apart from the rising cost of fish feed and unscrupulous activities of middle that frustrated fish farmers across Africa.
“In a recent webinar discussion, it has occurred to us that fish farmers are being frustrated in most African countries due to middlemen exploitation.
“We have also come to realise that the middlemen are not just the problem we face in the sector but inadequate budget planning of most fish farmers.
“Most farmers stock more juvenile than they can feed to maturity and before then they run at a loss.
“When they can no longer feed their stocks due to rising fish feed costs, they are forced to sell at a loss.
“Fish cultivation is a cycle that you must complete and in that completion you must not cut corners to get the desired outcome.