Lagos Holds Seafood Festival
Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan Lawal has said the state is set to host the 2019 Seafood Festival this Sunday, with a view to projecting the aquaculture and seafood potentials of the State to both the local and international markets.
Lawal, who said this recently, during a media briefing held in Lagos recently to formally announce this year’s festival, added that the event would also project the state’s diverse seafood resources and bring to the fore its immense potentials and inherent investment opportunities.
The Commissioner explained that the Festival which has been themed: “Celebrating the Seafood Diversity of Lagos State,” would also feature various local and exotic seafood dishes.
“As you are well aware, Lagos State is a maritime State with a coastline of about 180km along the Atlantic Ocean and a vast network of lagoons, creeks, rivers and estuaries, which accounts for 22% of its 3,577 KM2 land area.
“Thus, the state government is organising the 2019 Lagos Seafood Festival scheduled to hold at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island on Sunday, 22nd December, 2019.
“The aim is to showcase Lagos State aquaculture and seafood potentials to the local and international markets as well as stimulate the growth of entertainment and tourism in the State,” the Commissioner noted.
He pointed out that with a population of over 22 million persons, the State requires at least 374,000 tonnes of fish per annum compared to a domestic fish production of 155,262 tonnes per annum adding that it is also anticipated that this gap will widen as the State Government’s vision of making the State a 21st Century Economy is fully achieved.
“Other objectives of the Lagos State Seafood Festival include developing networking or linkages among stakeholders; sharing knowledge and technology used in the industry and exchange information on products and services available in the global market,” Lawal explained.
He also added that the Festival would also impact on the State as there would be increased tourism activities, increased consumption of various fish based culinary services available in the State, ease marketing for locally produced or processed fish.