BAYELSA FIGHTS TO CLOSE #183Bn FISH IMPORT GAP
Bayelsa State is working to close Nigeria’s $2.4Bn annual import gap in fish to close out at least $600m or N183Bn; in doing so, create 15,000 agro-entrepreneurs in the fish chain alone. The state has also identified cassava as a viable product within its land area that could create an economic chain and investing to grab chunk of the $500m starch import market per year.
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| Hon. Prince Doodei Week Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Bayelsa State. |
On the other hand, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it has produced inorganic fertilizer and soil booster to save the Niger Delta soil from harmful fertilizers and boost farm yields. The Commission says it is deploying $90m or N27Bn to create rice, cocoa, fish, poultry and other livestock hubs in the oil region according to each state’s area of comparative advantage.
These wee the highpoints at the Rivers Investors Lunch Hour Network attended by officials from the UK and EU and organized by the Rivers Entrepreneurs and Investors Forum (REIF) in conjunction with the European Union.
In a panel discussion anchored by Chris Newson of Social Democratic Network (SDN), the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Agriculture, Doodie Week, said studies show that Nigeria would hit a population of 387 million by 2050, just some 32 years ahead, and that about 50m youths are unemployed.
He told the investors and public sector practitioners that the amnesty scheme of the FG is for militants and militants alone. So, when they speak, the leaders must listen. They warned before the fall of the General, Paul Boro, from being the head of the Amnesty Programme for the FG.
He told the investors and public sector practitioners that in Bayelsa State, the Seriake Dickson administration decided to plot a way out of oil dependency and adopted a tripod period: Capacity building, Critical infrastructure in Agriculture, and Linkages. “We looked at commodities that can thrive in Bayelsa State: Fish and cassava as focus. We realize that Nigeria imports more than two million metric tons (mt) of fish per year with $2.4Bn. The Bayelsa Aquaculture Village Initiative (BAVIP) focuses on cutting down one quarter (#600m or #183Bn) of this bill per year as well as creating create 15,000 entrepreneurs who would become employers of labour in the fish chain; setting up Aquaculture village, feed mills, hatcheries, smoked fish, etc. The pilot is in Yenagoa with 500 ponds of 7000 fingerling each. The State found out that the cooperative model does not work in the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria where people want to be chief executive and decision-makers in their businesses. “So, we introduced the collaborative model for people to be independent but find areas of cooperation”.
The aim, he said, is to create a local economy on Agriculture, outside oil and gas. We are also doing cassava industrialization Scheme because Nigeria spends $500 per year to import starch but at the same time, Nigeria is highest producer of cassava in the world. Bayelsa is now building a starch factory based on 1500 cassava out-growers of 2 hectares per person. We need 220 mt of cassava per day or equivalent of seven hectares per day”.
The Honourable Commissioner said the private sector is to drive this project while the State Government is to provide massive infrastructure. “In about seven months, we want to see results. The target is to help move our economy over Agriculture from oil. We need the support of the private sector to actalize this objective especially in investments and viable management of the projects. We are ready to help with security because Bayelsa is one of the safest states in the Niger Delta right now. We are ready to offer tax relief and tax holiday. The place is capable of producing 7.5 mt per day. We want to concession it to a viable outfit”.
He said a Danish firm has shown interest but they were keen on exporting the products but Bayelsa wants to meet local demand first.
Week said the Government should not dabble into setting up Agricultural facilities but should be restricted to provision of ‘enabling environment ‘ ‘we say that every society defines what ‘enabling environment’ means to their people and how they want to boost economic participation. In Bayelsa, we interpret enabling environment to also include providing facilities that entrepreneurs would leverage on; it includes providing market, linkages, input, security, even subsidizing credit so that the interest rates can be moderated in the Agricultural sector. That is what we have done in the two focal products we want to promote: fish and cassava chains.
NDDC DEVELOPS ALTERNATIVE TO HARMFUL FERTILIZER
In his presentation, the NDDC Director of Agriculture, Marcel Eshiogu, said the Commission is only an interventionist agency and is trying to play the role of a catalyst in the Agricultural sector and set up a framework to make Agriculture attractive and profitable. “We did a research and found out that application of inorganic fertilizer and soil booster as alternative. We are now working with a US firm to put down 51,420 liters of organic fertilizer and 51,420 liters of soil booster which will be mixed to fertilize the soil without harm. All the Niger Delta States have got their allocations”
Eshiogu went on: “We expect bumper harvest this farm- ing season as a result of this. Also, we note that drudgery in farming discourages the youth, so we have introduced hand- held tractors for swamp areas. It is starting as a pilot scheme in each state of the oil region. Credit is important and we are now working with Fidelity Bank as a partner in our commercial farming programme. We once worked with Bank of Industry (BoI) but we noted that direct disbursement does not work with our people because they see it as government largesse but if a bank gives out the loans with their experience and net- work, they can recover it. The interest rate is a mere five per cent.”
He said the NDDC is work- ing with IFAD (a UN agency), to boost farming in the oil region. Under this partnership for a period of six years, the IFAD would bring $60m while the NDDC would bring $30m, total- ing $90m investment. It would deployed in a scheme we call ‘Train Me to Train Others.’ This would be in fishery, poultry, livestock, etc.”
He said NDDC has agree- ments with some states such as Ondo and Cross River on cocoa; Rivers and Bayelsa in fishery. The idea is to teach a successful farmer who would teach other mentees to become successful too. The aim is to create an army of successful farmers in the oil region by building on success upon success, hoping to cre- ate a new but viable economy outside oil/gas .”
in Bayelsa State, the Seriake Dickson administration decided to plot a way out of oil depen- dency and adopted a tripod period: Capacity Building, Criti- cal infrastructure in Agriculture, and Linkages. “We looked at commodities that can thrive in Bayelsa: Fish and Cassava as focus. We realize that Nigeria imports over two million metric tons (mmt) of fish per year with $2.4Bn. The Bayelsa Aquacul- ture Village Initiative (BAVIP) focuses on cutting down one quarter ($600m or N183Bn) of this bill per year as well as cre- ate15,000 entrepreneurs who would become employers of labour in the fish chain”.
So, he said, Bayelsa State re- solved to develop aqua-cultural economy built around the fish chain; setting up aquaculture villages, field mills, hatcheries, smoked fish, etc. The pilot is in Yenagoa with 500 ponds of 7000 fingerling each. The state found out that the cooperative model does not work in south-east and south-south regions of Nigeria where people want to be chief executives and decision-makers in their businesses. “So, we intro- duced the collaborative model for people to be independent but find areas of cooperation”.
Theaim,hesaid,istosto create a local economy on ag- riculture, outside oil and gas. “We are also doing the Cassava Industrialisation Scheme be- cause Nigeria spends $500m per year to import starch but at the same time, Nigeria is high- est producer of cassava in the world. Bayelsa is now building a starch factory based on 1500 cassava out-growers of 2 hectares per person. We need 220 mt of cassava per day or equivalent of seven hectares per day.”
He said the private sector is to drive this project while the state government is to provide massive infrastructure. “In about seven months, we want to see results. The target is to help move our economy over agriculture from oil. We need the support
of the private sector to actual- ize this objective especially in investments and viable man- agement of the projects. We are ready to help with security because Bayelsa is one of the safest states in the Niger Delta right now. We are ready to offer tax relief and tax holiday. The place is capable of producing 7.5 mt per day. We want to concession it to a viable outfit.”
He said a Danish firm has shown interest but they were keen on exporting the products but Bayelsa wants to meet local demand first.
Week said; “For those who say government should not dabble into setting up agric fa- cilities but should be restricted to provision of ‘enabling en- vironment,’wesaythatevery society defines what ‘enabling environment’ means to their people and how they want to boost economic participa- tion. In Bayelsa, we interpret enabling environment to also include providing facilities that
entrepreneurs would leverage on; it includes providing the market, linkages, input, security, even subsidizing credit so that the interest rates can b accom- modated in the agric sector. That is what we have done in the two focal products we want to pro- mote; fish and cassava chains.’
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