56 DECEMBER 2014 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Stimulating Nigeria’s economic growth (Millennium Development Goals and Vision 20:2020) is a key component of government efforts. One such effort centers on boosting production of specific agricultural products with the greatest potential for domestic consumption and increased foreign exchange and employment. Furthermore, as a country with great potential to lead the continent in fisheries and aquaculture development, it is expedient that the government actualize, without delay, the political commitment of African heads of state contained in the Abuja Declaration on food security, as it relates to fisheries and aquaculture. Modern shrimp farming got started in the early 1970s and production grew steeply, particularly to service the US, Japan and Western Europe markets. Today, over fifty countries have shrimp farms and broodstock are shipped worldwide. Shrimp has grown into a major global seafood industry, producing nearly 4 million t, worth about US$18 billion annually. Approximately half of the global shrimp supply is traded internationally, with trade flowing mainly from the tropical developing world to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, especially North America, Europe and Japan. Imports of shrimp by these wealthy markets was worth US$ 7.8 billion in 2001. The demand for shrimp products continues to rise. Overall demand in this complex, highly segmented market has been increasing at 3 percent per year, with the US market growing at 5 percent (Table 1). This motivates the expansion of the industry in some countries. In Asia, shrimp farming has been the most important foreign exchange earner within the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors (Jones 1988, FAO 1994). Shrimp are a relished and high-priced delicacy on the world food menu. Nigeria contributes to the market with largely wild-caught shrimp but the country has yet to fully key into the lucrative culture trade. There are no commercial shrimp farms in Nigeria nor any A Case for Commercial Shrimp Farming in the Niger Delta, Nigeria Adejoke A. Adewumi, Razaq O. Agunbiade and Opeyemi E. Idowu significant sustained development of the industry elsewhere in West Africa. Benefits of Commercializing Shrimp Farming Nigeria’s domestic fish production hovers around 0.5 million t. This is far less than what is required to support the annual fish demand of a population that is growing at 3 percent per annum (Table 2). To fill the demand-production gap, Nigeria spent over US$ 200 million annually on imports of frozen fish to augment the shortfall in production. Shrimp farming can significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported food grade aquatic products, currently valued at US$ 270 million (FishNetwork 1998). According to Chemonics International, employment from shrimp farming alone could increase from 3,306 to 83,950 within a decade and that Nigeria’s share of the world shrimp market could be increased from US$ 56 million to over US$ 300 million in that same decade (Table 3). There are two major markets to target: the global shrimp market worth US$ 18 billion, and the local prawn market. The potential benefits of shrimp farming are accessible to all stakeholders, including artisanal fishermen, trawler owners, investors, oil companies, and international donors, who have the wherewithal to capitalize on opportunities afforded by a growing global market. Research on shrimp farming has been conducted and documented by Nigerian scientists (Ezenwa 1991, Ezenwa et al. 1992, Marioghae and Deekae 1991, 1992, Tobor 1992, Hart et al. 2003). The aim of research into the propagation of shrimp stems from the need to complement production from capture fisheries to meet ever-increasing demand and to prevent over-exploitation or extinction of some wild species. However, because of the experience of some Asian countries that went into shrimp farming without taking environmental and health TABLE 1. The main OECD markets for shrimp imports and their annual growth rate (percent), 1999-2000. YEAR US EUROPE (EU) JAPAN TOTAL 1998 316,000 363,144 238,900 918,044 1999 331,700 348,034 247,300 927,034 2000 345,100 378,375 246,600 970,075 2001 400,300 363,184 245,000 1,008,484 GROWTH 5-y avg +6.4 +2.8 -1.7 +2.8 10-y avg +5.0 +2.9 -1.5 +2.3
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