The government has completed all arrangements for the commencement of the programme. The state commissioner for agriculture, Alhaji Shuaibu Abdulsalam Magami told that the state government has established a fish hatching bay in Gusau the state capital in preparation for mass production of fish in Zamfara.
In a press conference Alhaji Magami told that the state government has ordered for the fish parent stock that they are using to hatch from Warri in Delta state. He informed that the loan will be given to interested farmers to embark on the mass production fish in the state depending on the size of pond and quantity of fish they would like to rear.
He explained that the interested farmers only need to apply for loan according to their requirements of fish farming in a specified form to be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture. Farmer has to deposit one quarter of the loan amount that he/she intends to take, says Alhaji Magami. He also said that the ministry has also procured large quantity of drugs for the fish that will be sold to farmers at subsidized rate under the fish farming loan scheme.
According to him the ministry will also provide bulk purchase of feed for the fishes at very nominal price. Presently the ministry of agriculture in the state will be selling the feed to the farmers while experts will be used to teach the farmers how to produce the feed locally. This program will be extended to all the 14 local government areas in the state, says Alhaji Magami.
The ministry is planning to establish standard fish markets in Damba near Gusau, Mafara and Shinkafi for those that will be coming from outside the state to make bulk purchase. He told that all the inter4ested fish farmers in Zamfara state will be benefited from the government’s plan.
