In Abuja, 20 youth participating in the ENABLE-TAAT agribusiness park have launched a fish production and processing enterprise. This comes after the youth received agricultural input from the compact. The youth had participated in ENABLE-TAAT aquaculture incubation program from January to February, comprising of catfish production and processing modules.
After the training program, the beneficiaries organized themselves into four clusters partnered and started the production and processing of catfish using the ENABLE-TAAT agribusiness park facility at IITA station in Abuja. Part of the support included the provision of a smoking kiln and three ‘3000litres capacity tanks’ for receiving fresh smoking-size fish, and three ponds with a capacity of 5 by 4m each, capable of housing 6000 fishes.
Each cluster is raising 5000 juveniles to maturity in a pond; with an extra pond used for fish sorting and water reservation. There is also a storage facility close to the pond for use. The youths in these clusters will be engaged for four months.
Prior to marketing, a brief survey was carried out in the major markets in Abuja to know the current selling price and packaging pattern of smoked catfish. This has helped the processing and marketing clusters to launch out effectively, while also ensuring daily record of sales.
Going forward, some of the youths on the park intend to form a cooperative where they can jointly establish an agribusiness enterprise after exiting the park. Hence, they chose a business name called PALMSEAD. All the products from the agripark are currently being marketed with the chosen name.
Before the incubation and agribusiness park activities, all the participating youths were unemployed; four of them have now started their personal agribusiness enterprises on small scale. They have started the process of accessing loan facilities through ENABLE-TAAT’s partnership with financial institutions.