Some aquaculture experts have urged fish farmers to adopt better marketing strategies and reduce dependence on middlemen to gain greater control over the pricing of their produce.

The experts made the call in separate interviews on Thursday in Lagos.

An aquaculture expert and the CEO of Rid Agri, Femi Dario, said one of the biggest challenges confronting fish farmers was limited access to markets and the dominance of middlemen in determining prices.

“The major challenge currently affecting fish farmers is market access and the monopoly of price determination.

“Fish farmers have not been able to put the right price on their produce because they rely entirely on middlemen to sell their fish. When farmers are not in control of the market, they cannot determine their profit margins effectively,” he said.

Mr Dairo urged the government at all levels to support farmers by expanding market access and improving distribution channels.

According to him, creating open markets and neighbourhood fish markets will enable farmers to connect directly with consumers and improve profitability.

“Relying entirely on middlemen will not take farmers far. There are consumers for the fish, but only middlemen seem to understand how the system works.

“If the government is to assist, it should create open markets or encourage neighbourhood fish markets to support distribution,” he said.

Bashir Amin, an aquaculture expert and fish monger, said farmers should focus less on blaming middlemen and more on improving their marketing systems.

“We sometimes oversimplify the causes and effects of marketing in the aquaculture sector. Middlemen are in business to make money, just as farmers are. Farmers do not need to beg anyone to buy their produce at a particular price,” he said.

Mr Amin said increased production costs naturally lead to higher market prices and stressed the need for farmers to organise themselves to negotiate better.

According to him, some fish farm estates aggregate members’ produce and collectively set prices before inviting buyers.

“With this arrangement, buyers and middlemen have little choice but to purchase at prices determined by the farmers,” he said.

He also encouraged farmers to add value to their produce through smoking or drying, noting that processed fish attracts premium prices and has a longer shelf life.

Mr Amin said government offtake arrangements might be difficult to sustain due to storage, preservation, and subsidy concerns.

He urged fish farming associations to engage professional marketers and study successful sales models used in other agricultural sectors.

“Farmers should not concentrate only on production without planning how to sell. Business is not charity, and the aquaculture business is no exception,” he said.

(NAN)