Aliyu unveils N70m aquaculture centre in Kwali
As part of efforts towards achieving President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda of lifting 10 million Nigerians out of poverty in the agricultural value chain, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, has inaugurated an aquaculture centre valued at N70 million for women and youths in Kwali Area Council of the territory.
Aliyu said the project is aimed at building a strong economic base for rural dwellers that constitute the larger proportion of FCT population, and to engage them in productive ventures that will enhance their economic capacities, thereby improving their socio-economic status.
The minister also observed that the decision of the FCT Administration to adopt the empowerment approach is inspired by the commitment to clearly articulate a path of economic self-reliance for individuals particularly in gainful ventures such as aquaculture and allied trades.
She stressed that the Buhari administration has made agriculture a cardinal pillar of the federal government, leading to effective farm inputs distribution system, provision of high-yield seedlings, fertilizers and pesticides to rural farmers at subsidised rates.
According to her, the overall increase in cultivated land, crop yields and contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are testament to the increased total productivity of the agricultural sector.
The minister further noted that the FCT Administration has also provided a farmhouse and a well-equipped value addition centre, adding that each of the 50 beneficiaries will be given starter packs.
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The starter packs include two fish culture tanks, 500 fish seeds, 10 bags of fish feed, 30 brooded chicks, two bags of poultry feed (starter and finisher), poultry vaccines, vitamins and four drinkers 4 feeders, just as the administration also allocated mini-plot for integrated farming, made up of fish culture, poultry and micro -livestock farming.
“It is our projection that in full capacity, the centre will not only bridge the gap in meeting demands for fish in the FCT, but it will also encourage the setting up of businesses as it relates to the aquaculture value chain thereby generating the much needed jobs for our teeming unemployed women and youths.
“I therefore, call on the beneficiaries to mobilise to site as soon as possible and commence production. On our part, efforts will be made to provide all the infrastructure and facilities required for the immediate take-off of the entire estate,” Aliyu affirmed.
