The Bayelsa Government says it will soon begin exportation of fish from its aquaculture farm.
Mr Doodie Weeks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said this on Wednesday at the Inter-Ministerial and Agency Briefing in Yenagoa.
The briefing, which started on Jan. 22, was organised by the Ministry of Information to enlighten the public on the achievements of Gov. Seriake Dickson’s administration in the last six years.
Weeks said that one of its aquaculture farms, located in Yenegwe, Yenagoa Local Government Area, had fish hatcheries, earth ponds, a feed mill and a fish processing unit.
“The aquaculture village at Yenagwe is sited on a127-hectare land; it has 500 fathom fish ponds and with the completion of the project, Bayelsa will begin fish exportation soon.
“There are ongoing works at the 250-hectare Igeibiri-Obololi fish farm in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
“We do not need to import fish anymore; rather we shall soon be exporting fish because we now have the facilities and manpower for the fish export business,’’ he said.
The commissioner said that the state government, under its youth empowerment programme, had trained many youths and women in agribusiness.
“In our Songhai Farm training in 2012, 200 youths, comprising 152 males and 48 females, received training. Besides, between 2016 and 2017, more than 100 youths got training in entrepreneurship but only 51 completed the training.
“There was also one ADP agricultural extension training in 2017 under the N-Power programme and about 312 graduates in various fields participated in the programme,” he said.
Mr Thomas Zidaformo, Chairman of the occasion, urged the citizens to embrace agribusiness, adding that only agriculture could aid the survival of the society.
“Only agriculture can sustain human beings and the society; you can have money and every other investment but without farming, you are going nowhere,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Daniel Mackson-Iworiso, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, urged the residents to engage in agriculture in order to diversify the economy.
“We must support the state government’s efforts to develop the agricultural sector,” he said.
