The Ogun State Government has announced that its aquaculture support programme under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) has generated an estimated ₦9.17 billion in revenue for fish farmers across the state, following investments in feed subsidies, infrastructure development and capacity building.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, disclosed this in Eriwe, Ijebu, while addressing stakeholders during an ongoing inspection of OGSTEP-funded agricultural projects across fish clusters and farm settlements in Ogun State.
According to Owotomo, a total of 4,256 aquaculture farmers have benefited from the intervention, which is designed to boost fish production, reduce operating costs and improve farmers’ incomes. He said the programme was introduced to help farmers manage rising input prices.
He revealed that the state government supplied 195,436 bags of fish feed to farmers at a 30 percent subsidy, representing a direct government investment of ₦2,745,875,800. Owotomo said the subsidy was meant to cushion the impact of rising production costs and enable farmers to remain productive.
The commissioner stated that the intervention resulted in an estimated aquaculture output of 4,256 metric tons of fish, noting that the increase has contributed to food security and reduced dependence on imported fish in the state.
He added that the government also extended support to the poultry subsector, with 1,272 broiler farmers benefiting from the programme. According to him, 77,703 bags of professional and commercial broiler feed were distributed across the state, while other broiler farmers were supported with the production of 500 birds each and linked to off-takers to prevent post-harvest losses.
During the inspection, Owotomo visited the Ijebu Development Initiative for Poverty Reduction at the Eriwe Fish Farm Cluster, which comprises about 600 fish farmers and has been equipped with a modern fish processing facility.
The facility includes a five-ton solar-powered blast freezer, a 10-ton cold room, a 500/900-capacity chest freezer, four 50kg smoking kilns, three 100kg smoking kilns, a 500kg-capacity digital weighing scale, stainless steel work tables, 400-litre holding tanks, as well as rehabilitated fish processing buildings and market shops.
He also inspected ongoing fish processing facilities at the Ikangba Fish Farm Cluster, which has about 1,224 fish farmers, and the Ikenne Fish Farm Cluster, noting that similar infrastructure is being deployed in Ibiade, Ado-Odo and Ilashe fish clusters.
Owotomo stressed that the OGSTEP intervention is statewide and inclusive, aimed at reducing post-harvest losses, promoting value addition and stabilising prices across the aquaculture value chain. “This is a clear demonstration that when government support is well-targeted, agriculture becomes profitable for farmers and beneficial to the economy,” he said.
They noted that the programme aligns with efforts to build resilient communities and support youth participation in agribusiness statewide sustainably.
In separate remarks, other stakeholders commended the initiative, saying the facilities would reduce gluts, curb distress sales, improve incomes, expand production and strengthen local economic development, while reaffirming Governor Dapo Abiodun’s commitment to sustainable agricultural growth in Ogun State.
