Kado fish market thrives amidst odds
Despite the general economic downturn, business still thrives at the Kado fish market Abuja. Buyers throng the market and merchants are at the peak of their business from 6.50am to 6pm every day.
The market is a one-stop hub for fishes and other things relating to fish. While Abuja’s slogan is ‘center of excellence’, the slogan for the popular Kado fish market could be ‘center of assorted fish’.
Five to ten tonnes of live fish are offloaded every day in Kado fish market. These fishes are divided into portions; while some are reserved for customers who prefer live fish, the remaining are taken to the processing unit for drying so they could be sold as dried fish.
Kado fish market is organised into five sections: Frozen fish, dried fish, fresh fish, smoked fish, and the agricultural produce section. In the fresh fish section, while some merchants sell in bulk to retailers, retailers in turn sell to consumers. Other items sold at the fresh fish section include fingerlings, fish feeds, boosters and vaccines.
The chairman of Kado Fish Market Traders Association, Malam Ibrahim Mohammed, said “You will be shocked if I tell you that most of the fishes eaten in Lokoja today are from Kado fish market because they purchase them in bulk.
Madam Blessing Abiola, a frozen fish merchant, said a carton of Titus fish cost N25,000 and she sells up to 15 cartons daily, adding that she sells more frozen fish in dry season than rainy season.
“I have achieved a lot. When I started this business, I did not know I will get to this level. Through this business, I furthered my education, and I am assisting people who are willing to start up the business.
Some of the challenges faced by Kado fish market according to Madam Blessing include lack of adequate power supply. “Without light, this business cannot work because the fishes need to be frozen at all times,” she added.
Bashir Sani, a dried fish seller, laments how insurgency in the north east has crippled his aspect of fish business. “I cannot remember when last I had bumper sales. Dried fish comes from Maiduguri but because of the Boko Haram insurgency, my business is facing a lot of challenges. Previously, every week, a full loaded dried fish trailer from Maiduguri offloads at Kado fish market, and within the same week, two J5 buses from Maiduguri also offloads dried fish.
“As we speak today, it is only Borno Express that brings in just two or three cartons of dried fish from Maiduguri, as against what we had before. The prices of fishes are so high now. Round cat fish costs
N30,000, Maiduguri river fish cost N25,000 and Asa fish costs N70,000. In fact, I have resolved to be buying fish from Jigawa State henceforth.”
Kado Fish Market started as far back as 1996 during the administration of General Sani Abacha, with Lt General J.T Useni as FCT Minister. The market was commissioned and moved from Wuse Market to what was then known as “New Market,” which was later renamed to what is now known as Kado fish market.
Kado fish market was set up as purely a fish market, but over the years traders in diverse trades have been allowed to trade in the market.
The market is built in such a way that all types of fishes have a chain of production and supply within and outside the market community. The shops in Kado fish market are constructed in a manner that prevents fire from spreading to other shops from a burning shop in case of fire outbreak. There is a decking before the roof in every shop so that fire outbreak in each shop can be contained within the shop without getting to the next shop.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Department under the Faculty of Agriculture in the FCT collaborated to establish Kado fish market. It operates on the grounds of public private partnership - the public has the land while the private (individuals) own the structures in the market. The originators of the market built it with the intention that Kado fish market would be able to supply fish to all other areas bordering Abuja.
Corroborating how insurgency has affected the market, the chairman said “it’s not easy again to bring fish from the Northeastern part of the country. This is a major reason that has prompted most of us in the market to start developing the process of drying fish.
“In 2005, fishes coming from Maiduguri were more than what we were processing in Kado fish market; but today, what we process is more than what is coming from Maiduguri.
“In the whole FCT, Kado fish market is the only market where individuals are allowed to hold the buildings on ground. The government did this knowing that capital investment is going to be involved. Traders are allowed to own shops in the market with some specifications which was supervised by the Department of Development Control,” he added.
Frozen fishes which are all imported into the country and refrozen are gotten from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Warri. The live fishes are within the Abuja environ, majority are brought in from Ekiti, Ibadan, and Lagos. Usually, trucks from different locations leave their destinations in the evening to arrive Abuja in the morning.
Aside from the fishes processed and dried in the market, dry fishes are also gotten from Borno State, Lake Chad Basin and Kebbi, but majority of the fish in Kado fish market are processed within the market.
Many Abuja residents agree that Kado fish market is a one-stop hub because apart from buying fish - fresh, frozen or dried, they can also shop for a wide variety of sea food, poultry and poultry products, vegetables, fruits, household items and lots more.