Stories by John Oba
Abuja
Atlantic Shrimps Farm, a multi-million dollars, shrimp farm in Badagry, has stated that it is producing 120,000 tonnes of shrimp annually with strictly compliant with international standards and best management practices.
The managing director, Mr Kamlesh Kabra, stated this when the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, visited the farm recently on a tour of the facility.
Kabra said the $100 million farm established in 2014 deals on fish import, trawling business of fish and wild shrimp for years.
Adding that with the government directives for all fish importers to go into Backward integration to reduce fish import, the farm went into farmed shrimps in compliance with directive.
Commending the efforts of the management of the farm, Lokpobiri, said with the efforts of investors like Shrimp farm, Nigeria will regain her lost glory in agriculture.
Lokpobiri said with what he saw in the farm, there is great hope in the Nigerian economy regaining her lost glory once again from Agriculture, far more than it was in yester years.
“Atlantic Shrimps Farm is housed in a vast expanse of acquired 170 hectare of land around the Badagry beach with about 120 hectares been utilized. The multi-million shrimps farm houses varied facilities which takes care of the shrimps from its hatchery, nursery stage to the large adult ready for the table for high nutrient meal,” he explained.
Furthermore, the Minister said he was proud of this massive investment which has not only started ensuring increase foreign earnings, but has generated employment opportunity for over one thousand young Nigerians who make up 90% and 10% foreigners.
There is a commendable community development of corporate social responsibility such as a Primary Health Care Centre built by the investors.
Lokpobiri said that their challenges are being looked into seriously by this new administration and that the government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to review the issue of certification for export, and government will do all it can to support and promote their investment in Nigeria.
The Minister said, with this renewed interest in the diversification of the economy with Agriculture leading more so with Nigeria holding best potentials for investment and also to make up for the deficit in demand for shrimp.
He therefore, called for more investment in agriculture which according to him, is the immediate sure alternative avenue for both wealth creation, employment generation, more so ensured food security and better health.
