Nigeria’s fish farmers are calling for stronger government support, better access to production inputs and closer industry cooperation as the country struggles to meet domestic demand for fish, despite an increase in local production to an estimated 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2025.
The appeal was made by the National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN) in Abuja in late September. The association’s president, Ladan Aliyu, urged fish farmers to organise into sustainable cooperatives to improve their access to training, essential inputs and government-backed interventions.
Aliyu said domestic production remained far below the country’s needs and called for closer collaboration between producers and government agencies to expand output. He also highlighted the pressure on fish prices, noting that the depreciation of the naira had increased the cost of imported fish and made supplies more expensive for consumers.
The scale of the national supply challenge is substantial. A 2026 research review published through the Food and Agriculture Organization’s AGRIS platform estimates Nigeria’s annual fish demand at between 3.2 million and 3.6 million tonnes, against domestic production of approximately 1.4 million tonnes in 2025. This leaves a supply gap of roughly 1.8 million to 2.2 million tonnes, depending on the demand estimate used.
The Federal Government reported that local fish production increased from 1.1 million tonnes in 2024 to 1.4 million tonnes in 2025, attributing the progress to improved coordination, appropriate technologies, and efforts to develop the fisheries and aquaculture sector. However, the increase has not eliminated the country’s dependence on imported fish.
The constraints facing producers extend beyond access to inputs. Fish feed is one of the largest expenses in aquaculture, accounting for a substantial share of operating costs. Research on Nigeria’s catfish industry by the FAO-supported FISH4ACP programme identifies inefficient feed use, inconsistent farm management and limited access to reliable production data as important barriers to profitability.
The programme’s work with 500 catfish farmers across five clusters generated an estimated $850,000 in additional annual value. The intervention combined data-led farm management with training in best practices, including biosecurity, fish growth monitoring and improved feed conversion. The results demonstrate the potential for targeted technical support to improve farm performance without relying solely on expanding production capacity.
Infrastructure presents another challenge. Inadequate cold-chain facilities for storing, transporting and marketing fish can contribute to post-harvest losses, reducing the volume that reaches consumers and undermining farmers’ returns. Access to affordable finance, quality fingerlings, technical advice and dependable markets also remains important to expanding production.
The government has signalled its intention to invest further in the sector. The 2026 federal budget included an allocation of approximately ₦122.19 billion (about $90 million) for fisheries and aquaculture-related programmes, with the stated objective of increasing domestic output, reducing import dependence and supporting food security. The allocation is a budget provision, however, and does not by itself establish how much funding has been released or spent.
NBF Insight
Nigeria’s fish supply challenge is not just a question of producing more fish. It is also about making domestic production commercially viable, reducing losses and ensuring that affordable fish reaches consumers.
NFAN’s call for stronger cooperatives could help farmers pool resources, access training, and engage government more effectively. But lasting progress will require these structures to be backed by affordable finance, reliable fingerling supplies, efficient feed systems, cold storage and market connections.
The results from FISH4ACP also point to an important opportunity: better farm management and more efficient use of inputs can improve profitability while increasing output. These gains matter in a sector where feed costs can absorb much of a farmer’s revenue.
With domestic production still below estimated national demand, Nigeria’s priority should be to close the supply gap by improving productivity across existing farms while investing in the infrastructure and financing needed for sustainable expansion.
