According to the Country Director of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Nigeria, Michael Ojo, 1.5 billion dollars is annually lost in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to micronutrients deficiencies. He likewise highlighted that dietary inadequacies are one of the major causes of multiple nutrient deficiencies and increasing morbid and mortality rates in the country. Nigeria suffers diverse kinds of malnutrition as it is responsible for overweight, micronutrient deficiencies, underweight, obesity and associated diet-related non-communicable diseases.
At the Launch of Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy Brief on Wednesday, themed “Transformation and Future of Aquatic Food Systems in Nigeria”, Ojo noted that aquatic foods possess the ability to fill the nutrient gap in Nigeria and enhance improvement of the quality of Nigerians’ diets. Organization of the launch was overseen by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Global Panel on Agriculture Food Systems for Nutrition (GLOPAN) and other partners.
Sustainable healthy diets can be achieved through aquatic foods.
GAIN Country Boss further said that the Nigerian government is striving to ensure transformation of the food systems for increment in the production of safe and nutritious foods. However, it has paid lesser attention to the varieties of aquatic foods and potential they have to foster sustainable healthy diets and tackle the challenge of malnutrition. Fish is an important protein that should be present in the diets of low-income families. Dried small fish, unlike other types of animal foods are sold and bought in little quantities, and are accessible to consumers.
One of the series of dialogues that fostered transformation pathways for Nigeria’s food systems include the National Dialogue on Transformation and Future of Aquatic Food Systems in Nigeria which happened on July 18, 2021 at the UN Food Systems Summit. Leading professionals and experts from Nigeria were in attendance at the event, providing ideas and innovations for the purpose of catalyzing and energizing the fisheries and Aquaculture sector. The policy brief that was being launched proved the workability of the ideas presented at the event.
Regulation of the climate happens through the aquatic environment.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mahmood Abubakar, noted that the aquatic environment is essential to the survival of humans and the ecosystem. Besides the fact that it provides food for mankind, it is also responsible for regulation of the climate. He stated that upon his appointment as Minister of Agriculture, he drilled his team on means of ensuring that agricultural products are sustainably available to the average Nigerian for improvement of nutrition and creation of job opportunities.
Apparently, as was stressed by the Minister, aquaculture is the most rapidly growing sector which can also boost fish production. Owing to this fact, Abubakar has made it compulsory for the department to keep working towards an increment in aquaculture production by an additional of 250,000MT since his administration began. He said this increase is to contribute to the creation of an additional 1.1 million job opportunities in the sector. The ministry has not ceased to work towards achievement of this goal and as such, Abubakar urges Nigerians to contribute their quota by protecting the environment from pollution, overfishing and climate change.
New policy document to address challenges in aquaculture sector.
Represented by the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry, Fausat Lawal, the minister stated that the new policy document is designed to serve as a guide to tackling the many difficulties and challenges that confront the fisheries and aquaculture sector in a well coordinated and comprehensive manner. To achieve this objective, collective participation is required at multinational, national and sub-national, development partners and non-state actors. The fishing industry is a major source of livelihood for many communities, therefore, collaboration is needed for development and implementation of sustainable fishing practices that safeguard marine biodiversity.
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Aquatic foods to bridge nutrient gap. – Nigerians suffer diverse kinds of malnutrition due to unhealthy diets. – Express your point of view.
This just reinforces the importance of aquatic good and how nutritious it is. We should endeavour to eat these aquatic food for the good nutrients they possess.
Nigerians suffer diverse kinds of malnutrition due to unhealthy diets. Malnutrition is common because of the hardship in the country. Common man in Nigeria hardly eat 3 square meal. Standard of living in Nigeria is not favouring people
We need to openly embrace aquatic foods if they have the potential to close the nutritional gap in Nigeria so as to lead to an upward spiral in the quality of the diets of Nigerians.
The rate of poverty in Nigeria is causing so much pain in Nigeria. Many people in Nigeria find it so hard to feed due bad government who has refuse make good provision to his citizens. They do even care about us
This further shows the significance of aquatic goods and the nutritional value they provide. Because of the beneficial nutrients they provide, we should make an effort to eat these aquatic foods.
Poverty cause people not to be able to eat nutrition food and not eating nutrient food will affect the health we should be eating aquatic food to give us nutrient
Aquatic foods to bridge nutrient gap, taking aquatic food giving us nutrients is good malnutrition is bad for our health, because of how country hard people are unable to take nutrients food just taking any food available
Nigerian’s diets are unhealthy and result in diverse types of malnutrition, such as protein-energy malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight or obesity, and hidden hunger. To address this, Nigerians need to adopt a balanced and diversified diet, that includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods. Additionally, it’s crucial to promote food fortification, nutrient supplementation, and education on healthy eating habits.
The aquaculture policy should be enforce in order to ensure availability of aquatic food the common man who can’t afford the cost of other food or meat. Aquatic food the are rich in protein and other essential vitamins and minerals can substitute for that.
Aquatic foods are affordable to a low income earner and it is rich in protein and all essential vitamins and minerals that can make one well nourished and healthy. The new policy in aquaculture that will ensure the availability of the aquatic foods should be followed up to make it a reality.