By Ogechi Ogbochukwu
The need to unlock the full potential of the agricultural sector in sustainable food production as well as impact economic growth has been highlighted by a stakeholder in the sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of Ojone Farms, Mr. Ojone Shaibu, a Lagos-based hatchery farmer, made this known in a recent chat with Daily Sun.
He stated that the country’s farmers, especially those in the aquaculture value chain where he operates, could sustainably boost the nation’s food production in addition to generating jobs and supporting economic growth if the government at various levels invest in the value chain.
He called for government assistance in the area of tackling feed costs, noting that in his 20 years of operating in the aquaculture value chain, he has witnessed feed price soar from N6,800 for a 15kg bag of feed around 2008, 2009 and 2010 to N68,000 for the same bag size in 2025.
Speaking on navigating the challenges confronting the hatchery business in the country, Ojone said, “in every business, you need to know what you are doing. Careful calculation is very important to reduce waste to the barest minimum. In today’s challenging economy, hatchery farmers face skyrocketing feed costs.
“Despite the potential rewards of hatchery farming, the reality is fraught with challenges. Rising feed costs, bureaucratic hurdles and the constant threat of disease and environmental factors can be overwhelming. As experience has shown, even with the most diligent and knowledgeable operations, it is clear that urgent support is needed to sustain this critical sector.”
Explaining further, Ojone, who has perfected the delicate process of nurturing fragile eggs through artificial insemination, carefully guiding them through the post-fingerling and juvenile stages before distributing them to farmers for final growth, said, “investing on hatchery farming requires more than just financial resources.
You need to invest with someone who has the knowledge. It demands intentionality, time, finance, understanding, risk and sacrifice to accomplish each stage successfully. It’s not something you just stumble into and expect to succeed. Even with sufficient funding, the lack of expertise can lead to significant losses.”
According to him, “hatchery farming is not for the faint hearted. Caring for pre-fingerlings in particular requires constant monitoring and attention to details.”
Highlighting another issue of major concern to the country’s farmers, Ojone lamented the bureaucratic bottlenecks encountered in their efforts to join government-backed farmers’ cooperatives or organisations.
Narrating his experience, he said, “they are just collecting money and running politics,” alleging that funds were being mis-allocated to non-farmers.
He hopes that the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture will establish a comprehensive registration system for farmers, enabling direct access to incentives and benefits. He emphasised the need for transparency and accountability in the distribution of resources, ensuring they reach those who genuinely require assistance.