I ndigenous trawler operators are seeking government support to acquire 100 vessels valued at N280 billion ($200 million) for fishing in the country. It was learnt that about 40 per cent of their fishing boats had been grounded due to high cost of fuel and maintenance. It was learnt the cost of a trawler is now between $1.5 million and $2 million.
The President Nigerian Trawler Owners Association (NITOA), Mrs Ben Okonkwo, said subsidised diesel for their operation would save the sector from collapse and lead to employment of over 200,000 workforce. She explained that hike in the cost of diesel had increased the cost of voyage from N30 million to N140 million. The president said:
“Because of the high cost of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), over 40 per cent of our vessels are down and when we have vessels down, there is an extent we go in paying our staff, it would get to a stage that if they are not productive, we would have to disengage them. If we can get some logistics arrangements from Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Limited and Dangote Refinery , it would go a long way.
“If we get support, we can go back to the status quo of 250 boats and 200,000 employment like we had in the past.” Also, she appealed to the Federal Government to grant trawler operators duty waivers on importation of fishing vessels and fishing gears not produced in Nigeria, noting that tax waivers was in existence before in the form of export expansion grants before it was stopped in 2017. Okonkwo added: “If it can come back more regularly and transparent, it would go a long way.
We need dedicated port facilities, especially for new investors. We cannot continue to have our facilities in a place where you are not sure of tomorrow. “Presently, we are not having long leases, we have short ones, what that means is that they can ask us to leave at any time. With the level of investment on the ground, it would be difficult to move us just like that. “They should consider the companies and the space they occupy and go across for new investment. Fishing trawlers should be expunged from the Cabotage regime because we don’t have any contracts.
We do fishing, which is agriculture, putting us in Cabotage will do more harm than good.” Recalled that in 2022, NITOA complained that about 150 vessels currently operating in the country represent a drastic decrease from the over 250 fishing vessels in operations in 1983, noting that illegal fishing activities in the country had threatens Nigeria’s blue economy prospects. Okonkwo said that government should grow the fishing industry in Nigeria, stressing that trawler owners were overburdened by overzealous government agencies overseeing sea fishing.
She explained that NITOA had been involved in industrial fishing activities in Nigeria since 1986 when some notable Nigerians initiated the idea of having a unified body to represent its members on issues of mutual interest with a combined fleet of over 250 vessels, saying that about five fishing companies were struggling to survive out of 20 companies.
According to her, “there is the need to establish fisheries terminal here in Lagos where about 95 per cent of the industrial fishing operators are based. Furthermore government should do well to resuscitate the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) Scheme to make it more robust workable and transparent.”