August 8, 2021

Farmers seeking to venture into fish farming in Delta North district of Delta State will soon get a boost in variety of fish types, technology and feeds as the Bioresources Development Centre, a Federal Government agency, is set to partner with Aniocha South Local Government Area to operationalise its facility in Ubulu-Uku.

The centre is expected to provide fingerlings of different fish types as well as back up technical and logistic support to farmers.

Ahead of the partnership, officials of the Centre last week presented a proposal on the activation of their facility in Ubulu-Uku to the Executive Chairman of Aniocha South council, Hon. Pastor Jude Chukwunwike in Ogwashi-Uku.

The collaboration is expected to be effected with the revamping and rehabilitation of operational activities of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Abuja in Ubulu-Uku.

The centre is the only one in Delta State and just one of 25 centres built by NABDA across the country.

Presenting the proposal to Chukwunwike, the  coordinator of the centre, Ms Chinenye Blessing Aruah, pleaded that the council to take urgent steps in ensuring that the Ubulu-Uku centre bounces back into operation.

According to Aruah, Ubulu-Uku as an agrarian community has a lot of resources that can be harnessed profitably.

Her words: “In the course of our stay in the community, we realised that Catfish is expensive due to the fact that it is not cultivated there. We learnt that the fish that is sold in Ubulu-Uku comes from Asaba leading to high retail price.

“So we found that Catfish has a big market in Ubulu-Uku and we have decided that we are going to train the people on how to nurse and grow fish; we will make fingerlings available for them”, Aruah said, adding that the most pressing need of the centre is perimeter fencing.

Responding, Hon. Chukwunwike expressed delight on the proposal. He noted the entire Aniocha South Local Government Area and Delta North senatorial zone is agrarian and will benefit from the reactivation of the agency’s facility in Ubulu-Uku.

He promised to provide necessary support for NABDA, stating that the project is in tandem with his administration’s desire to create the environment for young men and women to engage in commercial family, including aqua-culture.

He said the council will evaluate the project promptly and provide the logistics required to activate the centre and mobilise the youth on the benefits of the new initiative

The Bioresources Development Centres (BIODECs) under the supervision of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Federal Ministry of Science and Technology are located at remote areas spread across Nigeria providing them access to untapped indigenous biological resources.

The centre when fully functional is expected to produce Aquatic Bioresources such as aquatic organisms of economic importance, including fish, molluscs and crustaceans and also conserve threatened or endangered aquatic organisms.

Making progressive strides in the conservation and sustainable management of Aquatic Bioresources for grassroot empowerment and subsistence, the BIODEC, Ubulu-Uku Centre, is expected to perfect several techniques for high yield aquaculture production.

The agency was established in 2003 under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo for the development of biological resources for use in agriculture, nutrition, health and industry of the nation. Over time since its inception, the Centre has intensified its mandate of fulfilling the Federal Government planned agenda of food security, job creation, and development of manpower for steady development.

The activities of the Aquatic Bioresources Division are centered on:

*Development and breeding of local fishes of economic importance.

*Development of skills in the design and construction of different types of fish ponds and enclosures.

*Development of practical training programmes on the establishment and profitable management of fisheries.

*Establishment of standards for local construction and maintenance of low cost fish pond structures for farmers.

*Creating network for the distribution of high quality fingerlings, juveniles and broodstocks of improved species to fish farmers.

*Formulation and promotion of local fish feeds, including efficient processing and packaging for commercialization.

*Develop and promote use of database for dissemination of information on aquatic resources for effective use.