Date: 2020-05-03

The Kwara Government says it will create a modern fish farm estate to attract more farmers for fish processing.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Adenike Afolabi-Oshatimehin, disclosed this in Ilorin while receiving the Managing Director of Teejay Feeds and Fisheries, Mr Tijani Nurudeen.

Mr Nurudeen was in her office to inform her of his decision to donate smoked fish to the state government as a palliative to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the state.

According to her, the move will create more jobs for teeming youths and increase the internally generated revenue of the state.

The commissioner thanked the donor for the gesture and assured fish farmers that the state government would create enabling environment for fish farming to improve the sub-sector.

Afolabi-Oshatimehin said Kwara remained the largest producer of cat fish in Nigeria and put the country on global map in cat fish production.

On his part, the state Deputy Governor and Chairman Technical Committee on COVID-19, Mr Kayode Alabi, said the government patronizes local markets in its distribution of foods and other items to create wealth for investors and business owners and boost the state's economy.

Alabi stated this in his office while receiving the smoked fish donated by Teejay Feeds and Fisheries, Ilorin, to the committee.

The deputy governor, who said COVID-19 pandemic was impacting negatively on every market across the world, promised that the state government would continue to support local markets to grow.

Earlier, the donor said the gesture was to support the state government in its drive to provide palliatives to residents of the state, particularly the vulnerable ones.

Nurudeen however appealed to the state government to assist fish farmers in creating awareness on fish production in the state with a view to attracting attention to the fish industry in the state.

He also asked the state government to assist in the exportation of the commodity as the fish produced exceeded the consumption of the local market.