Nigeria imports at least two million tons of fish annually to meet the country's fish demand of about 2.7 million, the Kwara State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Bode Olayemi, has said.

According to him, despite the increasing fish demand estimated at 2.7 million metric tons per annum, the local production capacity is about 700,000 metric tons, thereby requiring the importation of two million tons to augment the shortfall.

The commissioner disclosed this yesterday during the opening of the Aquaculture Training for Women Empowerment in Agri-business and Investment Programme in the North-central geo-political zone held at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM) in Ilorin. About 10 women were selected for the training.

Olayemi, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Elder Gabriel Jimoh said, "There is therefore a great need for strategic investment in fish farming because this is the major way that fisheries development in Nigeria can be moved to new heights."

He lamented that the huge employment and economic potentials in the fishery sector remain largely "under-explored and under-exploited hence the need for concerted efforts to be made to ensure that our natural fisheries resources endowments are fully utilized for the upliftment of the standard of living of citizenry, especially those living in rural areas."

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, represented by the Executive Director of NCAM, Eng. Ike Azugo, said at the end of the programme, each trainee would be supported with fish feed and juveniles to start the business of fisheries. She said the training programme was part of the government's agricultural transformation agenda aimed at empowering women and goading them to make meaningful impacts on the economy.