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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Stakeholders, including the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) , have urged allottees of the Bwari Fish Estate, in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) to maximize the opportunities in the area to grow their businesses.
The stakeholders, who spoke at an forum organised by the Glovic Resources Limited, which is the Facility Manager, to sensitize the farmers on how to grow their businesses, stated that there are untapped potentials in the fish farming sub-sector of the agriculture sector of the economy.
The managing Director, BOA, Alwan Hassan, said the bank was willing to assist the farmers with loans at very low interest rates. Hassan,
who was represented by the Garki branch manager Gbenle Omotayo, noted that the business is lucrative, especially with the preference of consumers for fish, as a source of protein.
The Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) Glovic Resources Limited, who is also the facility manager for the Fish Estate, Kodilichukwu Okelekwe, in his remarks noted the Bwari Fish Estate is one of the biggest fish farm estates in Abuja and its environs. Okelekwe charged the allottees to move in and develop their plots immediately, so that they can harnessing the business potentials in the area..
He said “this place was commissioned in 2012 and since then it has remained dormant. Our company was brought here to revive the fish estate and make it play the role that it was commissioned for, which are :food security , employment opportunities and generate revenue for the Federal Capital Territory administration.
“We invited people from BOA, SMEDAN. The idea is to tell people the facilities available. Part of what we want to do is not just to manage the facility. But to help them create what I call route to market – access to market, off takers, also help them source for cheap fund to help them expand their businesses.”
Okelekwe added that “what it means is that by the time all the allottees come in build and start producing fish; here we about 90 fish farmers. And each of these fish farmers has three big pounds. There is also processing facility here either for drying or what have you. So, imagine when each of them is producing at installed capacity.
“So, we cannot only feed Abuja and the surrounding states, we can also export. And imagine the job opportunities. Imagine the volume of money that can be made. That is why I say this place has a lot of potentials, if properly harnessed.”
