Some aquaculture experts have advised farmers to adequately harness the potential of the Catfish value chain for increased productivity and profitability. They made the call in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
The experts also emphasised capacity building to enable farmers to harness the benefits in catfish oil value chain.
An aquaculture consultant, Mr Okon Amah, highlighted the benefits of the catfish oil.
โCatfish oil can be used for cooking, pharmaceuticals production, fish feed production and cosmetics production.
โThe challenge we have with fish farming and harnessing the potentialities of the catfish value-chain is poor enlightenment of local farmers.
โWe need an aquaculture training centre to harness the potentialities in the value-chain.
โNo part of catfish is a waste. From the skin to the flesh, the bones and even down to the offals and intestines,โ he said.
The consultant said that Catfish farmers would need thorough knowledge of the value-chain to increase profitability.
โCatfish oil contains a large quantity of Omega 3 fatty acid, which is one of the best oils ever.
โIt is unsaturated and does not congeal.
Another aquaculture expert, Mr Abdulrazak Owolabi, urged governments to train fish farmers so they could make more profits.
โThe demand for catfish oil is there, but most farmers are unable to harvest enough to meet the demand.
โWe do not have enough production volume of catfish oil. We need training for the farmers to be able to produce enough and increase the profitability of the sector.
โGovernment can help local farmers to harness the potentialities of catfish by building their capacities through training.
โFarmers can be trained in various aspects of the value-chain โ from deboning to oil harvesting and preservation, etc.
โThey need to the learn the entire value-chain of catfish to increase the profitability of the sector,โ Owolabi said. (NAN)
