One of the most popular agribusinesses in Nigeria is fish farming. People no longer depend on getting fish locally, in rivers and ponds through trial and errors.
Today, the modern farm practice has made it possible to grow fish in the farms and control the input.
A fish farmer, Mr. Gabriel Adegbenro, said fishery products is by far the most popular animal products in the market, constituting more than 60 per cent of meat produce in the Nigerian market.
He explained that fish is one of the highest sources of protein, It is a low-fat high quality protein that is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin), adding that it is also very rich in calcium and phosphorus and is equally a great source of minerals, such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.
Adegbenro, who was training a crop of young graduates on fish farming in Lagos, said fish farming is very profitable.
“With proper planning and good management, N3 million investment in fish farming could easily result to N4 million of pure profit within six months,” he confirmed.
He said, due to the cost of production, fish produced from the farm is priced higher than those caught from the rivers and ponds by fishermen. Therefore, if there is good quantity of fisherman’s fish in the market, you may find it difficult to sell as people would prefer the cheaper ones.
Types of fish you can consider when starting out
Cat Fish – even though Catfish is not the most popular fish in Nigeria, this fish species is by far the most cultivated in the country. One good thing about catfish is that it is one of the easiest fish species to cultivate. So, people naturally flow to the direction of fish species they found to be the easiest to cultivate.
Tilapia is another second most popular fish in Nigeria’s aquaculture industry; Tilapia is a fish species that lives in fresh shallow water. Tilapia is very easy to cultivate and very popular in Nigerian market, it reproduces very rapidly and grows fast too.
Mackerel (Titus) –This is by far the most popular fish in Nigerian market but so sad it’s not farmed. All Mackerel Fish are “wild caught” but some farmer in Nigeria are considering the possibility of creating artificial salty water that will be similar to sea water where mackerel can only survive.
How to start fish farming
Get a piece of land in any location, since fish doesn’t cause any environmental hazard. Depending on the capacity you want to operate on, half plot of land is just good enough for average fish farm.
However, you may go for something bigger like full plot or two if you can afford it probably for convenience sake. If you already have a compound with leftover space that you think can accommodate two or three ponds, you may just get started.
After that, construct the pond.
You need to engage the service of pond construction engineer or you can go to another fish farm to get the specification and construction requirements. The plumbing work must be properly done to ensure proper drainage.
Dig a Borehole
Adequate water supply is the lifeblood of fish farm and lack of it may result to disaster because water needs to be changed on regular interval. Naturally available sources of water such as borehole and river water are the most suitable. Rain water and tap water from chemically treated source is not recommended for fish cultivation.
Install Overhead Tank
This is the water reservoir from which water is supplied to your ponds. This tank has to be connected to your ponds through plumbing system to make it convenient for water to flow into your ponds when needed.
Get Juvenile Fish
Get your juvenile from another farm that specializes in supplying it. You need to go for the high yield specie of catfish or tilapia and make sure you are getting it from a healthy farm.
Get Juvenile Fish
Not the kind of training you get from one day seminars; you need to get attached to a fish farm for proper apprenticeship. For you to properly learn this trade, you need at least two months training on this.
“Remember that your investment is at stake, trial and error is not good in business except you have unlimited funds to experiment with,” Adegbenro advised.
