LAGOS, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Thursday appealed to agriculture-based international companies to assist in the country's fishery sector .
Assistance in the areas of modern aquaculture equipment supply, training of fish farmers and development of quality fish feeds, will discourage imports and ensure self sufficiency in fish production, Muazu Mohammed, Nigeria's Director of Fishery, said at a workshop in Abuja, the nation's capital.
The director expressed regret that local fish feeds currently being produced in the country were sub-standard, while calling for international assistance in research.
Mohammed said the country, a major catfish producer, produced less than one million tonnes of fish annually as against the 3.2-million-ton demand for fish in the country.
"We are running a deficit of 2 million metric tonnes so we just have to import," he added.
The director said 80 percent of fishes produced in the country were catfish while other fishes accounted for only 20 percent.
"We have over 200 different species of fishes which have not been cultured. We are supposed to diversify in this area," he added, noting that 70 percent of the total fish production relies on imported feed.
"Our local fish feeds does not yield results for our farmers because of lack of research, so we import," he told his audience.
