Catfish-farming project aimed at reversing Nigeria’s declining aquaculture output

In response to a regression of aquaculture production levels over the past seven years, Nigeria is teaming up with development partners to implement a catfish farming project aiming to reverse the downward trend.Aquaculture production in the West African nation hit an all-time high of about 316,000 metric tons (MT) in 2015 but gradually declined to 290,000 MT in 2019 before spiraling to 261,700 MT in 2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Experts have attributed these falling aquaculture output figures to increased production costs and a decline in domestic seafood demand due to persistently high inflation levels and devaluation of the local currency.The high costs of production – especially in regard to accessing affordable, high-quality fish feed – have forced many Nigerian fish farmers to switch to inferior feed over the past decade, resulting in decreased harvest sizes and overall output. These factors have led the Nigerian government and partners such ...