This development became public, when Abia state, the fourth in the zone to have its Catfish Farmers Association (CAFAN) formally inaugurated by the National President, Mr. Tayo Akingbolagun in Umuahia, saying that the south east zone has great potential to make success of fish farming.
CAFAN has been inaugurated in almost all the southeast states and Delta, whose representatives including those of Akwa Ibom attended the Abia state inauguration.
Akingbolagun said that Catfish farming will create over 500,000 jobs with substantial number in the south east, when this annual national target of one million metric tons of Catfish becomes realised by 2018.
He said that actualising this target was hinged on the federal government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda that set into motion an articulated Aquaculture Value Chain Development programme and its involvement in a five-year aquaculture development plan in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which will be private sector driven.
Akingbolagun said that Nigeria’s potential for aquaculture is about four million metric tons annually with consumption estimate of 2.66 million tons adding that about 1.44 million tons of fish amounting to N100 billion annually are imported against the total nation’s production figure of 780,000 metric tons.
According to him, Nigeria has a coastline of about 853 kilometers with suitable enormous water resources favoring aquaculture and available aquaculture production area of 1.7 million hectares.
He therefore urged south easterners to engage in aquaculture saying “ the challenges in the fisheries sub sector should be seen as untapped opportunities waiting to be explored.”
The state resident Federal Director of Agriculture, Ebere Oziri, who said that about $500 million was expended in importing fish annually into the country, will be channeled to other sectors when the national target is achieved.
He said the inauguration of fish farming in the zone will help the fish farmers to form a common front through which they will attract government assistance. “It is when they come together that the cost of fish feeds will be reduced hence government has been willing to subsidise fish feeds in order to ultimately.
Announcing Abia state government support, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Ike Onyenweaku said that under the Aquaculture Action Plan, the state government will provide baseline data of both farmers and potentials of the state in Aquaculture, train farmers along all the Value Chain in Aquaculture, provide them fish seeds and other needed inputs, help them to have access to the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System of Agricultural Lending fund , provide land and Infrastructure for the establishment of fish markers/processing centres in all the 17 LGAs of the state.
State CAFAN Chairman, Prince George Akomas, who said that the members had the potentials to succeed, described the state chapter inauguration as one that will actualise government intentions towards, produce protein at affordable price to the people , pledging that they will work towards reducing the importation of fish into the country before very long.
Chairman, State Farmers Association, Mr. Dunlop Okoro who collaborated that there is a lot of market and return on investment on fish farming, urged CAFAN to collaborate with his association for their desired success.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
(vasep.com.vn) Changing markets, shifting buyer demand, and increasingly complex trade barriers are raising a key question for Vietnam’s seafood industry: Where will the new growth opportunities lie in 2027–2029?
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As of the end of August 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States reached $21 million, representing a steep 48% year-over-year decline and accounting for 23% of the country's total tilapia export turnover. Frozen fillets accounted for 78% with the remainder consisting of whole frozen tilapia and frozen cuts.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a volatile first half of the year, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Brazil registered robust growth in July and August 2026. In August alone, export turnover reached $19 million, surging 73% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulatively for the first eight months, total export value reached $124 million, reflecting an 8% year-over-year increase.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Besides modifying their boats, many fishermen in Dak Lak province are making efforts to venture out to sea to harvest seafood during the rough sea season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) At the Responsible Seafood Summit and TCRS Shrimp Summit 2026, organized by the GSA (Global Seafood Alliance) in Bangkok, Thailand, the conversation about the future of the shrimp industry began with one of its most important foundations: seedstock quality.
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