Nigeria inaugurates committee to tackle 2.2 million-tonne fish deficit

The Nigerian Federal Government has inaugurated a technical committee tasked with accelerating domestic fish production to address a significant supply gap. Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, has given the committee an eight-week deadline to develop a practical implementation roadmap based on previous strategic recommendations.

Nigeria faces a 2.2 million-tonne fish production deficit, with annual requirements estimated at over 3.6 million metric tonnes compared to a domestic production of approximately 1.4 million metric tonnes. The initiative aims to reduce the nation's heavy reliance on fish imports and strengthen food security.

The Minister identified several critical constraints hindering the sector, including high feed costs, inadequate access to quality fish seed and broodstock, weak biosecurity, and post-harvest losses. Other challenges include insufficient cold-chain infrastructure, limited access to affordable finance, research gaps, and weak data systems. The committee is expected to propose interventions for production, processing, storage, and marketing to create investment and job opportunities within the blue economy.