Lessons from Frotchery fish farm
In the determined quest for job and wealth creation, food and nutrition security experts on agricultural practices have continued to canvass for fish farming as a profitable route to take. In fact, unlike in the past when the main method was by catching different species of fish especially from the village rivers, modern farm practices have added value using technological breakthroughs. This has been made possible by building fish ponds, managing them well and smiling all the way to the bank.
The advantages are profound. Fish farming holds great potentials because the fish species mature quickly, act as popular sources of healthy protein, including omega-3 fatty acids good for both the heart and the brain. Without doubt, fish is also very rich in calcium and phosphorus and is equally a great source of minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. Fish sells within a short period of time. Besides, its production and processing do not act as an environmental hazard.
The piece of good news is that a groupofserious-mindednigerians, realising the huge potentials in fish farming have thrown their net into the business waters and so far the members have sweet tales to tell. Their company, Frotchery Farms Limited, located in Ibadan, Oyo State was incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission back in April 2017. It was cofounded by Messrs Oni Hammed Adedapo, Yusuf Ismail Babatunde as well as the agile lady in the house, Okeke Chituru Ngozi. These are young, vibrant and skilled agripreneurs who have acquired technical and business experience from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other relevant organisation including; Ekimiks Nigeria Limited and the Lagos Business School.
It is interesting to note that with just about two years of operations it has so far made its presence felt in over 10 states in Nigeria. One of the reasons behind the success recorded is hinged on the production of high quality smoked fish, fish fillet, fish powder and frozen indigenous African fish. They have achieved this by deploying best aquaculture technology and practices thereby improving food safety, nutritional contents and quality through postharvest interventions.
Apart from processing healthy fish products which meet international standard it has provided various livelihood opportunities for poor households practicing aquaculture. Frotchery farm has created an avenue to enlighten the consumers on hygiene and eating right through the consumption of quality fish products. Consumers are therefore, becoming conscious of the type of food they consume as a result of awareness on the dangers of consuming poorly processed foods. The consumers desire to eat nutritious, quality and clean fish products at affordable prices.
To boost commercial activities the company’s products and services are being utilised by several seasoned hotels, restaurants, caterers, food stores, supermarkets and homes. It is employing hygienic processes as the method of production encourages minimal waste disposal.
While the primary purpose is to deploy state oft heart technologies for continuous production of high quality and hygienic fish products, its secondary goal involves offering capacity development services for youths, unemployed, corporate organizations, associations and pensioners.
Frotchery fish farm is equally leveraging on its value chain, including packaging, marketing and utilising the existing liaison with relevant developmental organisations. The aim is to communicate the latest agricultural innovations, products as well as other pertinent information to youth who have interest in agricultural sector. But it has not been a stroll in the park for the fish farm given the inclement business environment that Nigeria presents.
The challenges to its operations like that of other fish farms have been enormous. Firstly, it wants the government needs to followup on its various measures to ensure ease of doing business, especially for the small scale business startups. The complexity in obtaining certification is enough to kill startup businesses.
Specifically, one of the greatest challenges in the fishery sector is the high cost of fish feed which makes farmers incur about 65percent-70percent of the production cost on fish feed purchase! Frotchery fish farm is therefore, calling on the federal government to work with relevant USA and European agencies to lift ban on made-in-nigeria fish products. For instance, the USA only requires our government to comply with its directives on fish export which are mainly administrative issues which can be undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD). The essence is to meet international standards on production and food safety.
For some other Nigerians wishing to follow the footsteps of the brains behind Frotchery fish farm it is instructive to understand the risks and challenges in fish farming. Truth be told, fish is very sensitive to manage and any slight mistake in its handling could lead to degenerated growth or death of the fish. This may inadvertently cause massive revenue loss.
Secondly, setting up fish farm is a capital intensive venture, much more than that of poultry and snail farming. It is important to engage in more careful planning and much capital input. A relatively small fish farm may take up to N500,000 to setup, while bigger ones takes millions of Naira. Fish is priced high. This is due to the cost of production. Products of modern fish farm are priced higher than those caught from the rivers and ponds by fishermen. Therefore, if there are good quantity of fisherman’s fish in the market, one may find it an uphill task to sell as people would prefer the cheaper ones.
Another drawback is that there is no byproduct in fish farming compared to poultry which produces other products including the drops which can be harvested and sold to other farmers to make extra profit. In fishery, all one gets is the flesh.
Frotchery farms however, plans to expand its current market opportunities to every state in Nigeria. This would create opportunities for interested distributors and build the capacity of more youth and unemployed graduates. It is creating a platform for consumers, for them to be enlightened on the benefits of consuming healthy quality fish products.
With its vision to become a leading fish processor in Nigeria, producing high quality products to meet international standards the future looks bright. This is especially so as it has positioned itself to deploy state of the art technologies for continuous production of high quality and hygienic fish products. All the same it should ensure that the fish varieties are made available at affordable prices, focusing on meeting consumers’ needs and enhancing the capacity of youth along aquaculture value chain. Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@ yahoo. co. u k ; 08057971776