Ogun Fish Farmers Reel in N9.17bn from State Aquaculture Boost
The Ogun State Government’s Aquaculture support initiative under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) has generated an estimated ₦9.17 billion in revenue for fish farmers across the State, following sustained investments in feed subsidies, infrastructure development and capacity building.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, disclosed this in Eriwe, Ijebu, while leading stakeholders on an inspection of OGSTEP-funded agricultural projects across major fish clusters and farm settlements in the State.
According to Owotomo, no fewer than 4,256 aquaculture farmers have benefited from the programme, which was introduced to boost fish production, lower production costs and enhance Farmers’ incomes.
He stated that the State Government supplied 195,436 bags of fish feed to farmers at a 30 per cent subsidy, amounting to a direct public investment of ₦2,745,875,800 aimed at mitigating the impact of rising input costs.
The Commissioner noted that the intervention has yielded an estimated 4,256 metric tons of fish, significantly contributing to food security and reducing reliance on imported fish.
Owotomo added that the programme also extended to the poultry subsector, with 1,272 broiler farmers benefiting from the distribution of 77,703 bags of professional and commercial broiler feed across the State.
He further explained that additional broiler farmers were supported with the production of 500 birds each and linked to off-takers to prevent post-harvest losses.
During the inspection tour, the Commissioner visited the Ijebu Development Initiative for Poverty Reduction at the Eriwe Fish Farm Cluster, which hosts about 600 fish farmers and has been equipped with a modern fish processing facility.
The facility includes a five-ton solar-powered blast freezer, a 10-ton cold room, chest freezers with 500/900 capacity, four 50kg smoking kilns, three 100kg smoking kilns, a 500kg-capacity digital weighing scale, stainless steel work tables, 400-litre holding tanks, alongside rehabilitated processing buildings and market shops.
Owotomo also inspected ongoing processing facilities at the Ikangba Fish Farm Cluster, home to about 1,224 fish farmers, as well as the Ikenne Fish Farm Cluster. He disclosed that similar infrastructure is being deployed in Ibiade, Ado-Odo and Ilashe fish clusters.
He stressed that the OGSTEP intervention is statewide and inclusive, with a focus on reducing post-harvest losses, promoting value addition and stabilising prices across the aquaculture value chain.
“This clearly shows that when Government support is well-targeted, Agriculture becomes profitable for farmers and beneficial to the economy,” Owotomo said, adding that the initiative has strengthened production capacity across the clusters.
In separate remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Angel Adelaja; the Chairman of Ikenne Local Government, Hon. Jamiu Asimi; the Chairman of the Catfish Farmers Association in Ijebu, Mr. Lazarus Okole; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ijebu Development Initiative for Poverty Reduction, Mr. Marcus Adeniyi, commended the programme.
They noted that the new facilities would reduce gluts, curb distress sales, improve farmers’ incomes, expand production and stimulate local economic development, while reaffirming Governor Dapo Abiodun’s commitment to sustainable agricultural growth in Ogun State.
