phantom: honestly they all have a positive ripple effect on the economy.why are you not seeing the jobs this policy will create as a good thing?

Okija_juju:


Nigeria should spend so much on raising fishes artificially when we can be focused on refining fuel locally and using flared gas to power plants and industries..

Not every locally available good must be banned.. Thats why its called commerce.. The day I tasted the difference between Coca Colas 'Cappy' and Coca Colas 'Minute maid', I officially stopped drinking locally packaged juice...

Okija_juju:



No Power,
No Road
No Water
No railways
High taxes
Multiple taxes
Unfavorable market conditions
poor technical/technological/mechanical and IT support
Insecurity
weak economy
poor research
Lack of skilled labour
High interest rates



Meanwhile, the government has just removed the cheapest source of protein, Omega 3 and other nutirent from the reach of the poor..

Some people are supporting it saying that we should start producing our own food locally which is cool.. However, how many poor families can afford our locally caught & reared fish?!

How many Nigerian homes can afford "LIVE CHICKEN"?!



Next thing na to ban the eating of Kpomo in Nigeria to promote our leather industries.. Meanwhile, poor man no get 1 lether product for ehn body.. Even ehn bathroom slippers sef no be leather..




May Baba God never allow you to see poverty with your eyes.. Just because you dey chop food with assorted meat, no mean say na so everybody dey chop o!! Even Kpomo sef is no longer cheap for some homes.. Incase una don forget, minimum wage is 20 Thousand Naira (which is not even being paid in all states sef) and 20'k minimum wage means approximately 650 Naira per day.. How much be catfish again?!



I think what we need is a genuinely poor Prosident and leaders.. The rich in Nigeria have all lost touch with reality. No wonder David Mark once said GSM is not for the poor.. Now Geisha is soon gonna be not for the poor.. Next on their list will be Kpomo and Pure water.. After that Amageddon..

rudedough:

Please don't quote me out of contest. The purpose of this discuss is not to win an argument but to share ideas.

Producing fish is not the job of the Govt. rather that should be the interest of potential investors. If the Nigeria market have a high demand for Mackerel fish, investors would be forced to import baby Mackerels for genetic breeding to meet the market demand and they'll reap maximum return on their investment, thereby creating more jobs for the Nigeria people.

On the other hand, we have different species of fishes in our aquatic ecosystem which can be harvested for production of sardines and geisha in Nigeria. After all, we were importing wheat to produce bread until it was banned and as usual everyone cried and cursed the Govt, but today Nigerians queue to buy Cassava bread at Shoprite and it tastes 10 times better than wheat bread.

It has also created many jobs in both the agricultural sector, baking profession and the retail market.

Okija_juju:



No Power,
No Road
No Water
No railways
High taxes
Multiple taxes
Unfavorable market conditions
poor technical/technological/mechanical and IT support
Insecurity
weak economy
poor research
Lack of skilled labour
High interest rates



Meanwhile, the government has just removed the cheapest source of protein, Omega 3 and other nutirent from the reach of the poor..

Some people are supporting it saying that we should start producing our own food locally which is cool.. However, how many poor families can afford our locally caught & reared fish?!

How many Nigerian homes can afford "LIVE CHICKEN"?!



Next thing na to ban the eating of Kpomo in Nigeria to promote our leather industries.. Meanwhile, poor man no get 1 lether product for ehn body.. Even ehn bathroom slippers sef no be leather..




May Baba God never allow you to see poverty with your eyes.. Just because you dey chop food with assorted meat, no mean say na so everybody dey chop o!! Even Kpomo sef is no longer cheap for some homes.. Incase una don forget, minimum wage is 20 Thousand Naira (which is not even being paid in all states sef) and 20'k minimum wage means approximately 650 Naira per day.. How much be catfish again?!



I think what we need is a genuinely poor Prosident and leaders.. The rich in Nigeria have all lost touch with reality. No wonder David Mark once said GSM is not for the poor.. Now Geisha is soon gonna be not for the poor.. Next on their list will be Kpomo and Pure water.. After that Amageddon..

Okija_juju:

[b]Na wah o!!

Cassava bread tastes better than Wheat bread.. I thought taste was subjective as well?!

And nobody is trying to win any arguement.. This is simply a debate of for or against. I am against and I think I am beginning to repeat myself too much.

You dont put the cart before the wheel. There are steps for achieving set goals. You spoke of hybrid fishes, artificial ponds, etc.. I am no farmer, but I'm sure these things require alot of attention, time, energy, manpower, money and also Power to keep the artificial pond and fishes in the best condition to thrive.

Its all well and good on paper, but what ultimately happens is that whoever decides to invest in such an 'overly high capital intensive project' would end up transfering that cost to the consumers. Which thereby makes the cost of the product more expensive in the end..

Now the consumer should always have the power to choose. If a man wants to eat basmati rice, I dont believe that the government has the right to deprive him of his right to choice.

Let me ask you how the ban on the importation of Poultry has affected the price of locally raised birds? Has the price of LIVE CHICKEN decreased?! NO!!! Has the price of EGGS decreased?! NO!!!! What about the byproduct of Chickens like manure for farming.. Has that also decreased in price?! HELLSS NOOOO! reason being that though we have banned the importation of birds, its still not less expensive to raise those birds in Nigeria because the factors that I have listed in a previous post still abounds.. Its as simple as that..

Cassava and Chicken are not the same thing. Garri has always been cheap because cassava has never been an imported commodity. Neither have we had the need for hybrid stems or irrigation to grow cassava locally. As long as Garri remains a staple food, cassava would always be cheap.


I say the government should focus on the things that fall within our scope for now. Focus on power. Focus of refining our crude locally. Focus on stopping flaring and channelling the gas being flared to generate more electricity. WIth electricity, mechanized farming cost would be slashed considerably. Farmers can afford to store temperature sensitive drugs and chemicals for farming longer at a reduced cost. Farmed produced can also be stored for long periods at a reduced cost. The saved cost can always be rechannelled into expanding operations or employee welfare. Everybody wins.

But in this case.. Alot of families will go without fish if this move is made by the government.

warrior01:

Went through your argument here and to be frank with you, you are not really making any sense; just unnecessarily paranoid. Nigeria, in the first instance, has no business importing fishes and other agricultural produce which we can easily farm here. How do we create jobs for the teeming jobless youths, save our foreign exchange and reserves and think of developing our economy without banning most of this things we have comparative advantage on. We are always so quick to blame the govt for our laziness when actually, opportunities abound in this country. The fact remains that majority of the populace are simply not patriotic enough to move this country to the next level. They are so quick to condemn every policy of the govt without critically looking at how to make use of the opportunity being created. We are so quick to condemn our country and praise others like China forgetting that latter closed her economy to any form of importation for 30 years.
To all forward looking Nigerians, tis time again to ignore the pessimists and never do wells around us and look at this great opportunity being presented by the government for the general wellbeing of our economy. God bless you all

Okija_juju:

Na wah o!!

Cassava bread tastes better than Wheat bread.. I thought taste was subjective as well?!

And nobody is trying to win any arguement.. This is simply a debate of for or against. I am against and I think I am beginning to repeat myself too much.

You dont put the cart before the wheel. There are steps for achieving set goals. You spoke of hybrid fishes, artificial ponds, etc.. I am no farmer, but I'm sure these things require alot of attention, time, energy, manpower, money and also Power to keep the artificial pond and fishes in the best condition to thrive.

Its all well and good on paper, but what ultimately happens is that whoever decides to invest in such an 'overly high capital intensive project' would end up transfering that cost to the consumers. Which thereby makes the cost of the product more expensive in the end..

Now the consumer should always have the power to choose. If a man wants to eat basmati rice, I dont believe that the government has the right to deprive him of his right to choice.

Let me ask you how the ban on the importation of Poultry has affected the price of locally raised birds? Has the price of LIVE CHICKEN decreased?! NO!!! Has the price of EGGS decreased?! NO!!!! What about the byproduct of Chickens like manure for farming.. Has that also decreased in price?! HELLSS NOOOO! reason being that though we have banned the importation of birds, its still not less expensive to raise those birds in Nigeria because the factors that I have listed in a previous post still abounds.. Its as simple as that..

Cassava and Chicken are not the same thing. Garri has always been cheap because cassava has never been an imported commodity. Neither have we had the need for hybrid stems or irrigation to grow cassava locally. As long as Garri remains a staple food, cassava would always be cheap.


I say the government should focus on the things that fall within our scope for now. Focus on power. Focus of refining our crude locally. Focus on stopping flaring and channelling the gas being flared to generate more electricity. WIth electricity, mechanized farming cost would be slashed considerably. Farmers can afford to store temperature sensitive drugs and chemicals for farming longer at a reduced cost. Farmed produced can also be stored for long periods at a reduced cost. The saved cost can always be rechannelled into expanding operations or employee welfare. Everybody wins.

But in this case.. Alot of families will go without fish if this move is made by the government.

warrior01:

If you think the govt is putting the cart before the horse, pls do also remember that you can't make an omellete without breaking an egg. Thanks
More so, Sir with all due respect, am a farmer and I know how the ban on the importation of poultry products has greatly lifted our production capacity. Yeah, there are still challenges due to smuggling activities of unscrupulous elements in the society, but a great policy it has been so far.

phantom: please explain to me how this is gibberish.am i missing something?

Okija_juju:


I am happy that you sir are a farmer.. Now I ask you; How has the ban on the importation of locally reared birds and the increase in production of these locally reared birds affacted the price of the following products;

1. Chicken

2. Eggs

&

3. Manure

adconline:
There can never be development without steady power. How can fishermen store that produce where there is no power? How can we have agri-processing industry to make sardines when there is no power? It's folks like these govt officials who have not owned and run biz in Naija that make these stupid policies. Do know know if Naija has a comparative/absolute advantage in fishing and fish processed products?
Why can't these officials ban foreign medical trips for public officials? Send their kids abroad for education?

Okija_juju:

[b]Na wah o!!

Cassava bread tastes better than Wheat bread.. I thought taste was subjective as well?!

And nobody is trying to win any arguement.. This is simply a debate of for or against. I am against and I think I am beginning to repeat myself too much.

You dont put the cart before the wheel. There are steps for achieving set goals. You spoke of hybrid fishes, artificial ponds, etc.. I am no farmer, but I'm sure these things require alot of attention, time, energy, manpower, money and also Power to keep the artificial pond and fishes in the best condition to thrive.

Its all well and good on paper, but what ultimately happens is that whoever decides to invest in such an 'overly high capital intensive project' would end up transfering that cost to the consumers. Which thereby makes the cost of the product more expensive in the end..

Now the consumer should always have the power to choose. If a man wants to eat basmati rice, I dont believe that the government has the right to deprive him of his right to choice.

Let me ask you how the ban on the importation of Poultry has affected the price of locally raised birds? Has the price of LIVE CHICKEN decreased?! NO!!! Has the price of EGGS decreased?! NO!!!! What about the byproduct of Chickens like manure for farming.. Has that also decreased in price?! HELLSS NOOOO! reason being that though we have banned the importation of birds, its still not less expensive to raise those birds in Nigeria because the factors that I have listed in a previous post still abounds.. Its as simple as that..

Cassava and Chicken are not the same thing. Garri has always been cheap because cassava has never been an imported commodity. Neither have we had the need for hybrid stems or irrigation to grow cassava locally. As long as Garri remains a staple food, cassava would always be cheap.


I say the government should focus on the things that fall within our scope for now. Focus on power. Focus of refining our crude locally. Focus on stopping flaring and channelling the gas being flared to generate more electricity. WIth electricity, mechanized farming cost would be slashed considerably. Farmers can afford to store temperature sensitive drugs and chemicals for farming longer at a reduced cost. Farmed produced can also be stored for long periods at a reduced cost. The saved cost can always be rechannelled into expanding operations or employee welfare. Everybody wins.

But in this case.. Alot of families will go without fish if this move is made by the government.


I sir will end my post with a passage from the Jewish religous book called the bible and it goes thus;

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you... Selah".. Thats the same thing Nigerians have continously failed to do which is seek what should be sought after first... E.g;

Nigerian Police is bad.. = Change their uniforms..
Imporve Agriculture = Ban imported agricultural products...
Cement is too expensive = ban the open importation of cement and limit it to only a few importers (Old price of cement 950, today its over 1600 per bag)
Encourage local manufacturing = Ban importation of cars.


What next?! improve local tourism = Ban foriegners

[/b]

KoloOyinbo: This policy will hurt but only in the short term! Nigeria MUST be able to feed itself and not rely on oil revenues alone to support it.

Very quickly the indigenous fish industry should be built up. Then the ban can be relaxed for any fish needed from further afield.

warrior01:

Sorry, if you find that insultive cos I never meant like that. There has been tremendous improvement in our capabilities in poultry meat production though we are still far behind some African countries like Egypt and South Africa. With the ban, Youths who are without the financial power to go into poultry farming are encouraged to go into contract farming for bigger farms who provide the birds, feed, drugs et al and are paid the agreed sum at the end of each batch. With these, jobs are being created for hitherto jobless youths, they are lifted up financially and, and above all, the knowledge and experience actually acquired cannot be over emphasized.
Coming to the issue of prices, they are actually coming down as economies of scale comes into play. Happened this year, as there was a glut in egg production which forced the price of eggs to come down drastically.
Let me tell you; with the ban, many companies are springing up everyday. Those that are into feed production, drugs manufacturing and especially maize and soys farming are on the increase. All these are putting money in people's pockets. I wish you know the joy it brings and how it feels to be highly productive and helping to feed the nation.
We should encourage this govt cos the agric business is still highly untapped in this country. Thanks

mercylicious: This is the problem with Nigerian. Why some are complaining, some are strategising how to hit it big with fish farming.
Always look for ways to profit from change of govt policies instead of complaining.

Set up your fish farm now. It doesn't cost much to start.
If you feel, ppl need salt water fish and can't afford trawlers, research it as a business. Team up with some friends and buy one and rent/hire it out. Or employ fishermen to fish for you and pay them salaries. This is the way to think.

I remember earlier this year, one guy saw the prospects in fish farming and resigned from his workplace (shell abroad).
He did not just set up farm but a fish processing plant, they dry , produce oil and other bye products. The guy is an Anambrarian and he setup his farm in his village sumwhere in Anambra, providing employment for some unemployed in his town. This story was on news and even on frontpage here in nairaland.

We need to change the way we think. Its not enough to be be a graduate. We just have to put our brains to work to profit from every change in policy

adconline:
How can indigenous fishing industry benefit when govt has not provided infrastructure?

KoloOyinbo:

SAME AS MOST OTHER COUNTRIES! THE PRIVATE SECTOR> This has been done elsewhere. There was a very good report aired internationally on Al-Jazerra about this topic several month ago. It showed some local businesses thriving and all set to expand. Nigerians are resilient and resourceful. Provide a market and there will be a means to fill it!


Of course if Government wish to assist initially by the provision of grants/subsidies to local projects then that also is a good idea but government cant do everything itself.

Aderupoko2: This government and their kindergarten policies. Not everybody in Nigeria likes eating catfish.

tpia@:


Fresh water fish can't substitute for salt water fish also.

Both can be eaten concurrently, this policy doesn't make much sense to me.

Fish is the poor man's meat, in nigeria.

warrior01:

Went through your argument here and to be frank with you, you are not really making any sense; just unnecessarily paranoid. Nigeria, in the first instance, has no business importing fishes and other agricultural produce which we can easily farm here. How do we create jobs for the teeming jobless youths, save our foreign exchange and reserves and think of developing our economy without banning most of this things we have comparative advantage on. We are always so quick to blame the govt for our laziness when actually, opportunities abound in this country. The fact remains that majority of the populace are simply not patriotic enough to move this country to the next level. They are so quick to condemn every policy of the govt without critically looking at how to make use of the opportunity being created. We are so quick to condemn our country and praise others like China forgetting that latter closed her economy to any form of importation for 30 years.
To all forward looking Nigerians, tis time again to ignore the pessimists and never do wells around us and look at this great opportunity being presented by the government for the general wellbeing of our economy. God bless you all

Agriculture
20. My Administration has instituted key policy reforms to establish staple crop processing zones aimed at attracting the private sector into areas of high production, reducing post-harvest losses, and adding value to locally produced commodities. So far we have succeeded in attracting $7.8 billion investment commitments to the agricultural sector. These investments and the value chain approach being used to transform the sector have the capacity to create 3.5 million additional jobs in the medium term by 2015.

• You will recall that Government provided incentives to support cassava value chains, including zero duty on machinery and equipment to process high quality cassava flour. Cassava bread is increasingly commercially available with 20% cassava flour content. In addition, a total of one million metric tonnes of dried cassava chips, are being exported to China this year.

• Achieving self-sufficiency in rice production in 2015 remains our target. In response to our new fiscal measures, 13 new private sector rice mills with a capacity of about 240,000 metric tonnes have been established. These mills buy and process local paddy and create employment for Nigerians.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/jonathan-presents-2013-budget/#sthash.F4CAa5n6.dpuf

rudedough:

As a matter of fact, the Government is favoring the poor in Nigeria than he/she understands.

* Fish is healthier than meat and chicken.

* Fish is richer in nutrients than meat and chicken.

* Fish is more expensive in developed countries for its nutritional values but cheaper in Nigeria.

Bottom line is, poor men eat better source of protein than their rich counterpart. Let them eat more fish, it's good for their health..

mozek24: Well, I know some people are very angry with govt probably due to so many failed policies and poor infrastructure but we also have to look at the positive side to every policy. If there is a ban, there is a ban; and nothing we say here can change it. Instead, we should take advantage of it. Some of us are well read and looking for a white collar job and when it does not come on time you are very angry and looking for every opportunity to throw blame. Apart from govt some even blame their parents for being poor. Or blame God for making them a Nigerian. WRONG!

What I like about this govt or this period is that it gives us the opportunity to think positively and be creative. Forget about certificate, think of how to add value with or without assistance from anyone be it family, friend or govt. Start something now no matter how small. An average person on Nairaland is educated/exposed. Whatever you do now you do it better than the ordinary man that didn't go to school.

Some of us are too proud to bend, change that orientation.

The ban on imported fish has created a very big market for the smart guys. Open your eyes and ears. You can choose to be among the smart ones.

adconline:

What a display of idiocy! No country is badly run like Naija,that is potentially endowed and blessed like Naija
Folks like you keep comparing Naija to Mali, Somali, Afghanistan and Niger.
We should be looking to countries like Brazil, Vietnam, South Africa, Mauritus, Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia.
South Africa with a population of over 40m generates 40K MW while Nigeria with over 160m generates 4K MW. How can you strive to be like them in terms of development without fixing infrastructure?