The Federal Government of Nigeria in its efforts to encourage local food production may soon place a total ban on the importation of fish and other aquatic comsumables.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwumi Adesina in Ado-Ekiti stated this during the launch of the Special Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme for fisheries and aquaculture value chain.

Akinwumi noted that the workability of the arrangement being put in place by the government to that effect would be ascertain before the ban would be imposed, stressing that the ministry is already promoting increased fish production through the aquaculture value chain.

He added that the value chains are to create an enabling environment for increased and sustainable production of over one million tons of fish within the next four years, generate employment and pursue gradual reduction of fish imports which is in line with the goal of the agricultural transformation agenda (ATA).