Mr Ezra Amos, a 70-year-old retiree from Dadin Kowa community of Gombe State said he realised over N3 million from fish farming in 2020.
Amos, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dadin Kowa, Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area, on Wednesday, said fish farming was paying his bills as a retired civil servant.
He said his investment in agriculture was paying him more than when he was in service, adding that he had been in the fishery business since 2012.
“In the last four months of 2020, I made N1.4 million from my fish farming. In the first four months, I made N750, 000, while in the four months in between, I made N850, 000.’’
He said that besides fish farming, he also engaged in hatching and selling fingerlings which according to him fetched more money than selling matured fishes.
“With the kind of money I am making from fish farming, if I am offered a job by the government that pays over N100, 000 monthly I won’t accept it because there is more money here,’’ he said.
He said fish was of high demand and “even yesterday someone asked if I have more fishes to sell. Sometimes buyers even book our fish before they get to full maturity.
“With the market which is readily available and the huge demand for fish, anyone who ventures into it will make money.’’
The catfish farmer, however, said the vocation was now more expensive to run than before as a result of the high cost of feeds which he said was reducing profits in the business.
Amos said a lot of fish farmers in the Dadin Kowa/Kwadom axis needed government’s support to rear fish in large scale to contribute to efforts toward boosting food security and providing employment opportunities for youths.
He appealed to the Gombe State Government to give fish farmers training on how to use local food ingredients to make fish feeds.
Amos advised youths and civil servants in the state to leverage on opportunities that agriculture particularly fish farming provides to get alternative means of income.
“ I have been advising youths to go into fish farming or agriculture, they must not wait for white-collar jobs.
“Start small fish farming within your environment and with time you will see the benefit. The profit in agriculture is far greater than some white-collar jobs,” he said.
