A Professor of Fish Breeding and Genetics, in Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti (EKSU), Ekiti state, Professor Ronald Omotayo Fagbuaro has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to extend loan facility to Nigeria’s Fish Farmers without interest in order to boost the economy of the country and reduce food shortage.
The Professor stated this on Tuesday in the University, while delivering Paper Presentation tiled “FISH: The Unavoidable Aquatic Gold”, during the 79th inaugural lecture of the Institution.
Fagbuaro, who is a professor in the department of zoology and environmental biology, described the essence of loan as a morale booster for Fish Farmers to produce more which in turn develop the economy and reduce the problem of food shortage in the country.
While emphasizing on some dangerous chemicals and medications used by fish farmers which infect consumers with tumours and cancers, he charged the federal government to enact law that will bring into justice anyone breeding fishes with human growth hormones.
“Central Bank of Nigeria has to extend loan facility to Fish Farmers at little of no interest rate.
“Likewise, government at various levels should initiate more programmes targeted at empowering fish farmers and other farmers to reduce the problem of food shortage.
“There should be law against breeding of fish with human growth hormone. The use of human growth hormone posed a great dancer to the fish consumers. When the antibiotics and some other medications intended for human use are used in breeding fish, the major long-term effects us that these chemicals or drugs will be stored in tissues of those involved fish and when consumed by man, they end up consuming different doses of residues of the chemicals from the flesh of the fish which will eventually develop to tumours and cancers.”
Speaking on insecurity and its effects on Fish Farmers, he charged the government at all levels to wake up and address the issue of security threats and hike in the price of food and other consumables.
“Nigerian Farmers and the population in general are confronted with unprecedented wave of different but overlapping Security crisis from Kidnapping called banditry and extremist insurgencies now.
“This has forced Fish Farmers and other Farmers to withdraw from farming activities and also led to exorbitant price of fish, feeds and food items.
On transportation, Professor Fagbuaro appealed to federal government to improve the state of road infrastructure to reduce cost of transportation and loses on the road, which will make sales easier for fish farmers and others.