With a population of over 200 million and the importance of protein to the human body, fish as a source of food and livelihood has since been prevalent. Fish, which is a major source of protein, is well sought after in the Nigerian market.
One of the most important aspects of fish farming is the aspect of feeding. Fish feed majorly contains grains and the type of feed you give to the fishes will determine how well they grow and to what size they grow. This is important because the weight of a fish contributes to its price and the weightier it is, the more money you can get for it thereby increasing your profit as a fish farmer. This is where the food conversion ratio (FCR) comes in. The food conversion ratio is the ratio of the feed given to the fish to their weight over some time. It helps to know the quantity of feed the fishes would need to attain a certain weight.
For a good fish farming business, the fish feed takes up a large percentage of the farmer’s budget as the fish must be properly fed. For the fishes to benefit maximally from the feed they are given, the feed has to contain the appropriate ingredients and properly balanced nutrition. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Although there is natural feed produced in the ponds for the fish to feed on such as worms, insects, moss, etc., they are not enough for the fishes to consume. To ensure proper and quick growth of the fish, the supplementary feed will also be required. There are different types of feed for the fishes according to the stage they are at in their life cycle and these are starter feeds, fry feeds, fingerlings feeds, grow-out feeds, broodstock feeds. These feeds differ in size.
Currently, the fish feed market in Nigeria is being dominated by foreign industries such as Skretting fish feed, Aller Aqua fish feed, Coppens fish feed, but priority is now being placed on domestic feed enterprises to employ the use of local ingredients in the formulation of fish feeds. This would help to reduce to cost of fish feed for the fish farmer, and it would also help to give the farmer easier access to the fish feed. Some factors to take into consideration before choosing fish feed include availability, price, quality, etc.
At Indigo Africa, we have taken all these nutritional considerations into account and produced fish feeds that are for all types of fish species. Our fish feeds can serve both smallholder and large commercial fish farmers. We also produce yummy freshly packed snacks that are rich in nutrients such as Vitamin B12 which helps to produce healthy red blood cells in fish, Omega 3 which helps the heart condition of fishes and minimizes their risk of dying of heart disease, and Omega 6 which helps to activate the immune system of the fish. We also help our customers to boost their performance by providing guidance and advice that will aid them in finding solutions to help produce healthy and robust fish for customer consumption.
The flourishing fish market in Nigeria places a demand on fish farmers to be more efficient in their fish production, and getting the right feeds is paramount to the output of their fish farms.