Nahimat Adekoga
The Association of Indigenous Sea Food Stakeholders revealed that Nigeria loses N9 billion revenue annually to illegal fish importation and smuggling.
The association’s national chairman, Lamina Rasheed, said in Abuja on Wednesday that members of the association paid import duty of 14 per cent, which amounted to millions of naira to the Federal Government while the illegal importers paid next to nothing through the land borders.
According to him, it is difficult to compete with them in the market because these illegal importers slash their prices to the detriment and loss by the genuine fish dealers.
He frowned at the development which he said had discouraged so many genuine importers and local fish farmers across the country.
The chairman appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action toward setting up a task force that would stop the illegal importation of fish and other sea foods into the country.
Rasheed said that the illegal importation was still ongoing through the borders, but setting up the monitoring and prosecution task force would help curb the menace.
He said that some of the sea products which were being produced in Russia, Norway, Mexico, were being smuggled into the country through the Republic of Benin.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture had in March promised to set up a committee that would be responsible for arresting and prosecuting illegal importers.
