THE LUCRATIVE CAT FISH PRODUCTION IN
NIGERIA BY ADEBISI OSIBERU
For anyone thinking
of an investment that yields high returns in the agricultural sector, a pond of
catfishes could be a potential money pool.
In Nigeria, there
are two fish types that thrive. These are the tilapia and the Clarias, which is
a class of the catfish family.
Clarias fish
production is a very lucrative business, as there is high demand for it in the
Nigerian market. There are 3 main stages in Clarias production viz the
breeding, production and then trade. One just needs to have a basic
understanding of the aspect he wants to invest in, and thereafter begin to go
to the bank smiling.
How to start:
The entrepreneur
will have to procure a piece of water-logged land or a sizeable holding tank,
the size of which would be determined by the quantity of fishes he wants to
start with. One can start with as little as 500 or 1000 fishes and then grow
from there.
Depending on one’s
level of expertise or skills and capacity, the investor may start by buying the
fries, which is the post-hatch form (the size of mosquitoes), the fingerlings
or the juvenile, which is the developed staged from which it can be introduced
into a pond or an open tank.
For the
entrepreneur, who is not a professional fish farmer, it is advisable to get
involved in the business by buying the juvenile. There is also the option of
renting a pond or tank from an established farmer if one could not afford the
cost of building one at the start. This rentage costs about N3000 per month at
the current rate.
Because one needs
to maintain a set of juvenile for about five to six months before they are ripe
for harvest, the entire rentage amounts to N18,000.
To start with as
little as 1000 fishes, the sum of N20,000 to N25,000 would be expended on
buying the fishes as each juvenile costs N20 to N25 in the market.
We advise that
the sum of N200,000 should be set aside for the feeding of the set of 1000 during
this period of six months. In order to reduce cost of feeding, one may buy feed
ingredients and produce his/her own fish feed. However, depending on the
quality of feed, the consumption rate of the fishes may steadily rise to about
two kilogrammes each by the time they reach harvest stage. With good feeding,
the fishes would weigh between one and two kilogrammes at full development.
Profitability of the business:
There is a very
high rate of return on investment in the fresh catfish business; in fact the
profit margin even grows higher with every little expansion.
Right now in the
market, a kilogramme of clarias (catfish), sells between N430 to N450, and even
sometimes higher.
If the juveniles
are well sorted, (that is, of the same size) there would be no incidence of
them eating themselves and with good feeding, there is the assurance that you
can harvest the number you started with.
Thus, for
investing in 1000 fishes, bought at N20,000 or N25,000, fed and kept with about
N240,000, one can effectively earn between N420,000 and N450,000. This leaves
the entrepreneur with a profit of about N185,000 to N190,000 at harvest time.
That translates into a massive return on investment.
At the same time,
if an entrepreneur possesses the creative ability to maximise profit, there are
viable markets for catfish which include domestic consumption, hotels and
restaurants and the numerous pepper soup joints.
Challenges
There is no
business venture without its own attendant challenges. Of course, it is an
obvious fact that a farming-related trade like this requires a gestation period
before actual harvest. So, a bit of patience, monitoring and maintenance is
required on the part of the investor.
Another is that
of ensuring that the fishes are fed with nutritious and balanced diet. This is
to prevent losses that may occur as a result of malnutrition, before or during
harvest.
Sales may also slow
down during the rainy season, but this will not affect the entrepreneur who has
created and built formidable contacts for himself in the market.
The bottom line
is that Nigerians now appreciate fresh fish, if not more than the frozen type
and cat fish ranks high on the demand list due to its appeal to numerous
consumption forms. So anyone staking his money and/or time in its production
and trade is bound to reap bountifully.
For further details
and procurement of high quality Catfish Fingerlings and Juveniles, contact
Adebisi on +2348164180691.
