Mr. Ajibola Olawale, the Chairman Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria, CAFAN, Kwara State Chapter in this interview with Gabriel Ewepu bares his mind on fish farming, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, and how farmers could cooperate to move the agriculture sector forward.

Excerpts:

How long have you been in fish farming business?

I have been a fish farmer for over 25 years, and it was after I completed and obtained my National Diploma certificate.

Which category of fish farming are you engaged with?

I practice all kinds of fish farming, which includes tilapia, catfish, and others.

Since you started this catfish farming, have you made any meaningful progress?

The only sustainable means I am living today is through catfish farming. The peak I have attained today was through fish farming. This is because the business is highly lucrative, and had made serious impact in my live, that is why I have remained in the business for the past 25 years. For now I am self-employed and I have my own farm.

How many fish farmers do you have?

I have just one fish farm in Kwara State. I have made huge amount of money from the business for all these years. I have a minimum of 10 employees working with me in the farm.

Since you started this business have you received any form of assistance from any of the three tiers of government?

None, except this present administration under the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. He has made life meaningful for us fish farmers in Kwara State.  Under the Growth Enhancement Scheme, GES, the aquaculture sector was one of the beneficiaries under agriculture. The 500 juveniles given to individual farmers and 5 bags of feeds subsidised at 50 per cent rate for the farmers, it has changed the lives of Kwara farmers.

How many Kwara State farmers have benefited from this policy Growth Enhancement Scheme?

We are 850 fish farmers and 795fish farmers so far have benefitted from the scheme, including those in the ministry and all the fish farmers from the local government areas of Kwara State.

How have you been able to carry along catfish farmers in Kwara State?

I thank God so far, and we have been able to form the Fadama Group under our canopy, as well as aqua culturists and Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria working together to see to the success of the GES in Kwara State. We have over 300 members under Kwara State CAFAN, and looks forward to the registration of more members with the association, who will also benefit from the GES.

With the increasing number of your members in CAFAN, can you say they have the capacity and ability to locally produce, meet the demands of Nigerians and also export catfish to other parts of Africa and the world?

Just to cover an avenue for now, and despite the GES we recorded the highest sales by individual farmers, and also the rate of fresh catfish consumption had also increased, and with what we have been given under the GES, we are still pleading if the number is not increased we might not be able to take care of the demand of fish products locally for now. This is because the awareness is there now that eating fresh fish is the best compared to imported frozen fish.

What is CAFAN's position in the proposed banning of imported of fish by the federal government?

We are not praying for the banning of imported fish, because considering productive capacity by fish farmers in the country, we cannot meet up to 40 per cent of the local demand and consumption. So we still need frozen fish to support our local consumption of fish. Gradually, may be if this programme would be extended and increased above the initial 500 units per farmer, I think we will be able to cover the demand to 50 and 70 per cent in 2014.

Has your members received technical training from the government to boost productivity?

Actually, we have not received any training from the federal government, we are only lucky to have some feed millers who have come to our assistance through free training for majority of fish farmers in the country, including Kwara State.

You mean the method of fish farming in the country is still at a crude stage?

You see our method is still going below average; we still need perfection in some areas, like in terms of input support and manpower, which has to do with training to assist our local farmers.

Do catfish farmers have access to loan facilities to develop and grow their business?

It is quite unfortunate, as a supplier I have not received loan from any commercial bank. So far I have carried out projects under United Nation that is Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO, Nigeria, where I made some supply to states that were affected by the 2012 flood.

Likewise on this GES, where I paid money into First Bank of Nigeria, FBN, where I bank, and nothing has come out as assistance from them since I wrote to them.

The federal government has to intervene in this issue of accessing loans and if fish farming is to survive. We need financial assistance, because we cannot go it alone. Banks should be nurtured to see fish farmers as their friends and not as enemies.

Whenever they want to give loans it should not be given to political fish farmers, rather they should identify the practicing fish farmers, and not to give us practicing fish farmers a tie-rope, where they will be asking for collateral in form of building and other landed properties, but should ask the fish farmers to use their farms as collaterals, especially when it is not on a leased land.

Most fish farmers have been able to develop their fish ponds but feeding the fishes is the big problem but without the assistance of the banks there is no way individual fish farmers can survive it.

Are you saying CAFAN is helpless financially?

We are very helpless, because feeding occupies 75 per cent in the cost of production in fish farming. For an individual fish farmer, it will be difficult for you to feed even 1000 fishes to a suitable size without any assistance in form of soft loans or grants.

Relationship between CAFAN and All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN

To some of us, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, should be an umbrella body for farmers, including fish farmers, but this is not the case now. AFAN is for cassava and maize growers, forgetting Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, cattle rearers, and other kinds of farmers.

I feel the leadership of AFAN should be rotated among the various sub sector of the industry.