Fisheries society seeks govt partnership for growth

THE Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) has hinged the growth of the sector on greater partnership and support from the Federal Government.National President of FISON, Dr. Abba Abdullah, told journalists recently in Lagos that the sector had been left in the hands of the private sector for too long.According to him, the private sector had in its little way pave way into the sector, adding that the government should assist the sector with amenities.'The government should address the high cost of feeds, lack of modern fishing inputs, lack of funds, piracy at sea, among others.'In any economy, for you to develop, you must have the right policy and have all the right government support,' Abdullah said.He disclosed that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has also initiated the Nigeria Aquaculture Development Plan (NADP) to be led by the private sector.Abdullah said the objectives of the plan were to boost production to meet local demand, assist in balancing trade in aquatic products, create employment opportunities through aquaculture practices.He added that the plan would also help in creating access to profitable market locally and internationally.'FAO initiated this because; it noticed the role the private sector is playing in the development of aquaculture in Nigeria, the document has been completed and a committee has been set up and inaugurated,' Abdullah said.Abdullah said that FISON had already started playing a strategic role in all the development initiatives where it had been recognised as the principal stakeholder.He said that to jump-start these interventions is the 26th FISON yearly conference in Minna, Niger State, which would hold between November 28 and December 3, 2011.Abdullah said that conference with theme 'Panacea to Challenges of Food Security in Nigeria,' would have a symposium and a workshop on aquaculture value chain as part of its agenda.He said that the sub theme of the conference would be 'The Role of Appropriate and Emerging Technologies in Aquaculture and Fisheries.'Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the forthcoming conference, Prof. Suleiman Sadiku, said that the conference, which would draw about 500 participants would also help in making the aquaculture sector more mechanised.
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