Farmers under the Waziri Cluster in Gombe State have recorded significant improvements in catfish production following a 12-month training programme under the FISH4ACP Catfish Cluster Upgrading Programme implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The programme, funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, ended with a Demo Day held at Kwadon area of Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area.
Speaking at the event, Programme Manager of Vetsark, Mayowa Ajayi, described the occasion as “a celebration of learning, commitment and progress.”
Our correspondent reports that Vetsark is the training facilitator for the FISH4ACP catfish cluster upgrading programme.
Ajayi said the farmers were trained in feeding techniques, water quality management, nursery practices, biosecurity, record keeping, harvesting and cluster governance.
“Over the past year, our farmers have strengthened their skills in feeding, water quality management, nursery practices, record keeping, biosecurity, harvesting and cluster governance,” he said.
He added that the programme was designed to build sustainable aquaculture practices and improve fish production across participating communities.
“As this training cycle ends, the real work continues. The knowledge gained must now reflect in better ponds, healthier fish, stronger records, reduced losses, improved income and stronger cluster cooperation,” Ajayi stated.
Chairman of Waziri Cluster, Ugochukwu Nnanyelugo, said fish farming had become more than a business to him because of the satisfaction he derives from it.
“The turnover is good, but the most important thing is that I find pleasure in it. Whenever I come around to feed my fish, there is one kind of joy,” he said.
According to him, the intervention exposed farmers to modern aquaculture techniques that helped them cut losses and reduce unnecessary expenses.
“There are some things we didn’t know before. They taught us sorting, how to manage losses and how to reduce extravagant expenses so that we can gain more,” he said.
Nnanyelugo encouraged youths to embrace fish farming, describing the sector as a viable source of livelihood.
“There is opportunity in this field. With little capital of about one to two million naira, someone can start gradually and grow,” he added.
Lead facilitator of the programme, Echezona Cynthia, said the training combined classroom sessions with practical demonstrations to ensure farmers fully understood the techniques being taught.
“It’s not just theory. We teach them in class and also take them to the field for practicals so they can see real-life results,” she said.
Cynthia revealed that before the intervention, many ponds in the cluster were poorly managed, with foul smells caused by overfeeding and poor sanitation.
“Initially, once you stood here, the whole place smelled strongly of ammonia. But now, the environment is cleaner because they adopted better management practices,” she explained.
She noted that overfeeding was one of the major challenges affecting profitability among farmers.
“Some farmers were feeding 10 bags daily when six bags were enough. One farmer testified that after reducing feed from 10 bags to six, he still achieved his target fish size within seven months,” she said.
Cynthia disclosed that about 145 farmers registered for the programme, while at least 80 had significantly changed their farming methods.
She urged farmers to sustain the new practices to reduce production costs and improve profitability.
“These farmers are important to food security in Nigeria. We want them to upgrade their knowledge so they can save costs and make more profit,” she said.
Also speaking, Bitrus Philip of the Gombe State Ministry of Water, Environment and Forest Resources said the state government partnered with FAO because of the importance of the Waziri Cluster to fish supply in the North-East.
“This cluster is one we are proud of because they produce large quantities of fish that are supplied to many North-East states,” he said.
Philip projected that the training would boost fish production and increase government revenue through improved aquaculture activities.
“The farmers have improved greatly. Before, many of them were not sampling their fish, but now they monitor growth and diseases properly,” he added.
He assured farmers of government support, urging them to continue engaging the ministry whenever challenges arise.