FG, Kano train 540 women in fish farming

The Federal Government is facilitating the training
of 540 women, drawn from the 19 northern states
on fish farming, a statement from the Kano State
Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources has
said.
The statement was signed by the Public Relations
Officer in the ministry, Mr Garba Yunusa, and
made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on
Tuesday.
It said that the government was carrying out the
programme in collaboration with the Kano State
Government.
The statement said that the state Commissioner for
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hajiya Baraka
Sani, launched the programme at the Kano Institute
of Fisheries, Bagauda.
In the statement, Sani said the Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi
Adesina, visited the institute and promised to
collaborate with the Kano Government on the
training of youths from other states at the institute.
Sani further explained that the Federal Government
was already sponsoring 140 women from other 19
northern states while the state government
sponsored 400 women from within the state.
Each of the trainees, the Commissioner said, would
be given a take-off package that would include
juvenile fish, fish feed and drugs as well as other
incentives.
Sani added that more collaboration was under way,
to train youths on poultry and livestock, revealing
that the Kwankwaso administration had established
six capacity building agricultural institutes that
trained youths in different agricultural businesses.
The Director, Gender, Federal Ministry of
Agriculture, Hajiya Karimatu Babangida,
commended Kano State Government for its youth
empowerment programmes.
She noted that Nigeria was spending N90 billion on
fish importation annually to meet the three-million-
tonne requirement, while only 700 tonnes was
being produced in the country.
The director, therefore, enjoined the beneficiaries
to make judicious use of the opportunity, in order
to reduce the import level.
The coordinator of the institute, Prof. Armaya’u
Bichi, in his speech at the occasion, noted the
institute has all the necessary teaching and
learning facilities.
Bichi said that, so far, the institute had trained and
empowered 800 youths and women.