Smoked fish factory springs up in Anambra
Posted by: Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi Posted date: September 28, 2012 In: News Extra | comment : 0
Smoked fish factory springs up in Anambra

Something great is happening in Anambra State, but it is not in Awka, the capital, or Onitsha, the bustling commercial city. A fish factory in Adazi Nnukwu, some 20 minutes’ drive from the seat of government, has raised the profile of both the community and the state, providing jobs for youths and putting hunger at bay in many families.

There is more. The factory has the capacity to save Southeast fish traders the trouble of sourcing their merchandise from such far-flung places as Maiduguri, capital of Borno State. And, thanks to the plant’s hygiene standards, fish connoisseurs can vouch for the health of what they eat.

Adazi Nnukwu, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state, has probably made history, hosting arguably the first quality smoked fish processing plant in the country.

It is the handiwork of a geologist turned farmer, Mr Emeka Martins Iloghalu.

Newsextra paid him a visit, discovering that many youths from the region will be taken off the streets as the facility grows.

The smoked fish are well packaged, most of which sourced from the same facility, although its owner says it needs more.

The company, Tee Martins Aquaculture, produces dry fish, which are free of insects and sand.

Iloghalu left his well-paying job at Shell and oil service firms overseas to return to the rustic village of Adazi-Nnukwu to engage in fish farming.

He reckons that his fish are unique.

He said: “Our model here is that we don’t sell life fish because we don’t even meet our market demand of dry fish, hence we are looking for co-operation to serve the Southeast market and beyond. Even at this moment we have not gone totally mechanical because we installed 160kg drier plant that dries wet fish weight per batch.

“We need resources and expertise; that’s why we are training people to take over but we need managers that we can trust and develop to ensure youths are engaged while we develop other areas. We are proposing to erect our new plant in a 33-ft structure, two-storey building vertical expansion. We are installing a 750kg drier to ensure that our customers are satisfied with quality dry fish well packaged.

“I encourage people to go into fish farming to enable us meet the demand as our own fish pond is not enough to supply our fish requirements. We buy from various fish ponds around to meet up, so if fish farmers increase we will be able to buy them and meet up demand’’.

Iloghalu’s passion for the business inspired his wife, a lawyer, Mrs Justina Iloghalu and their children Emmanuel, Deborah and Esther to understudy the head of the family. They aslo appear to have mastered virtually everything in the fish factory, especially the pond.

Iloghalu also encourages youths to engage in fish farming, saying one female fish can give birth to over 40,000 fish. He adds that with the availability of mobile fish ponds and incubating machines in addition to a ready market, Anambra youths will thrive in the business.

Iloghalu equally advocates the establishment of aquaculture clubs in schools and colleges as a means of promoting fish farming at a minimal cost using mobile fish ponds produced by his company.

“Mobile fish pond is a viable venture and I recommend it for schools and colleges through aquaculture clubs or catfish clubs because once you have experience and acquire the skills through the mobile fish pond, the fund will come and viable ventures will start.

“I can supply the equipment because it can be of great assistance in actualising the MDGs especially with the drilling of boreholes in schools and communities so water is no longer a problem. We can have fish labs and fish farms in schools since there is free water supply. Mobile fish pond can fit into any place and can be set up anywhere. There is no limitation and it can generate N180,000 after every four months with 250 fishes.

“People preparing for retirement and people thirsty to create employment can cue into the mobile fish pond because it is the best way to start preparing for expansion. It is age-friendly and less tasking. I can supply the equipment.

“My drier for now contains 150 fishes in a row in five chambers of 1kg each.”

On why he left his lucrative job, he said: “It is passion that is driving this because I left my job of $15,000 a month and others more than that to return to the village to promote fish farming because if I have this dry plant and fish ponds, I will engage Nigerians and, by that, I am adding value to my people. We have a facility with the bank and we are encouraged by that because we had expected that somebody will say we have not been in Anambra. If we have the expertise we will install our equipment.

“We are operating at about 30 per cent of our installed capacity. It is not bad but not cheery, so the more many engage in mobile fish farming , the better for us. We don’t have enough human resources and expertise but we are looking for them and I am re-strategising hard to share my knowledge with youths like me.

“This pond here can raise 25,000 fishes…in four months. We have the equipment for intensive system but we do between flow through system and intensive system. For fingerlings production we can produce 150,000 to 200,000 fingerlings in four to six weeks.

While in oil services, Iloghalu invented a smart way to interpret depositional environment using core samples. That caused a stir in the oil industry and he was invited to Spain to talk to oil decision makers and chiefs at an International conference. He did it with Shell, then Slumberger hired him, offering higher wages and took him to every continents except Australia.

His passion was in the operating system and the arrangement was to have a one and half-year patent but was not getting to Research centres as agreed. The job became a routine for him and he resigned to avoid being frustrated.

He said the “only logical thing was to invest at home” and he experimented hatching fish, raising them to table size, harvest and dry.

He has a special scheme for NYSC members to teach them to become successful fish farmer, even with mobile fish pond.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news-extra/smoked-fish-factory-springs-up-in-anambra/

Ohhh.. fabulous. We need more of this.

Nigeria is on the rise, and believe you me, it's only just starting. Not too far from that factory sits Nigeria's first indigenous car manufacturer, INNOSON Motors, churning out cars, buses, and SUV's - the first modern vehicles manufactured by African people. In fact by the time we're finished in this country, even China will be shaking!! Just let the power road map be seen to fruition, and leave the rest to 9jas.

Show us picture now.
Make I use the picture drink Quaker Oat.

acidtalk: Show us picture now.
Make I use the picture drink Quaker Oat.

there was no pic from the source i got it from.the only pic there was just a roll of smoked fish.

^^ Surely even you must have limits of depravity to which the mind sinks.

Rossikk: ^^ Surely even you must have limits of depravity to which the mind sinks.

Hahahaha....theres a name for it, "human nature".

@Post

I think what this young man is doing is excellent. More grease to his elbows.

nice work

Great.

For me this over exaggeration on fish farming is becoming too much. This is the reason so many people lost their money trading forex cos of too much hype like this. I have seen someone who bought this mobile fish pond of a thing and end up selling both the fish and the pond below purchase price.

I see stories like this and just want 2 say YES, I AM. A NIGERIAN.

Wow

a1solution: For me this over exaggeration on fish farming is becoming too much. This is the reason so many people lost their money trading forex cos of too much hype like this. I have seen someone who bought this mobile fish pond of a thing and end up selling both the fish and the pond below purchase price.

AGRICULTURE in any form can NEVER be exaggerated!!
It is the foundation of any developed society.
It, like any other human venture has it's risks.
I guess u don't even know that it is mostly the quantity of PROTEIN consumed that is one the strongest indicies of adequate nutrition of a nation!
How will we rid our society of this level of ignorance?

nice one

nice one..

dats d entrepreneural spirit we need to revamp the economy of South east and Nigeria as a whole, guys like this should be motivated in every form to go miles. Kudos Nwanne!

Woooow....that's great...proud to a be NIGERIAN and most importantly an ANAMBRANIAN...repping anambra for real...
Udo diri onye obuna....iseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

keep it up

a1solution: For me this over exaggeration on fish farming is becoming too much. This is the reason so many people lost their money trading forex cos of too much hype like this. I have seen someone who bought this mobile fish pond of a thing and end up selling both the fish and the pond below purchase price.

maybe ur friend wanted 200percent profit in a month.he was there for the short term not the long haul

How much and what will I requuire to start fishing business.I have just N200,000 and a plot of land only. Thank you.

a1solution: For me this over exaggeration on fish farming is becoming too much. This is the reason so many people lost their money trading forex cos of too much hype like this. I have seen someone who bought this mobile fish pond of a thing and end up selling both the fish and the pond below purchase price.

So what are you trying to say.
Explain further. Our ears are open.

hmmmmmm.Nice one but is this iloghalu from Adazi-nnukwu or Adazi-enu.am just curious.