The WorldFish has disclosed that Nigeria spends about $1.2billion annually on importation of fish.
The organisation also disclosed that not less than 45 per cent of the fish consumed in Nigeria are imported.
To meet the growing demands of fish consumed in Nigeria, the WorldFish Country Representative, Sunil Siriwardena, at the validation workshop on national fisheries and aquaculture policy, said there was an urgent need for the establishment of a national policy on fisheries and aquaculture.
He noted that the federal government, through the national policy, could increase the national fish supply and save the money spent yearly on importation.
Siriwardena said: “Fish is one of the most important food commodities that have positive impact on poverty reduction and improving food and nutrition security in Nigeria.
“There was a recent study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on agrifood diagnostic study that revealed that fish is only second to livestock in terms of poverty reduction effect and only second to livestock and fruits and vegetables in terms of food quality.”
