About 400 fish farmers in Kwara State have benefited from the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) co-funded by the state and federal governments to encourage aqua-culture in the state.

Each of the fish farmers got 500 free fish juvenile each and five bags of 15 kilogrammes of fish feeds subsidised at 50 per cent.

The fish juvenile, if well nutured, are expected to be ready for harvest within the next six months.

Kwara State is the first out of the 36 states of the federation to roll-out to fish farmers after the Federal Government kicked-off the scheme in Minna, Niger State.

Speaking at the roll-out held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources,Ilorin, the State Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Buhari Adebisi, said "the essence of the scheme" is to create jobs, eradicate poverty, increase the nation' s foreign reserve and ensure food security".

The state director, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Fisheries, Mr Wahab Ademola Alabi, said out of the list of 1,000 fish farmers sent to the headquarters of the ministry, only 400 were redeemed due to inadequate budgetary provision.

He said the number was higher last year as "760 farmers out of a list of 840 submitted were actually redeemed."

He said the ministry had to resort to ballot this year, to select the beneficiaries.

He, therefore, appealed to those who are yet to benefit to remain calm, assuring that their turn would also come.

Also Speaking, Kwara State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Anthony Towoju, urged the people of the state to take advantage of the scheme to make their life better.

He, however, said that the Federal Government alone cannot claim credit for the scheme because the state had always been paying its 25 per cent counterpart fund which made the project possible in the state.

Towoju, who described the project as laudable, said "a nation without fish is kwashiorkor nation."

The chairman of Catfish Farmers Association (CAFAN) in Kwara State, Alhaji Olawale Ajibola, also said that the scheme was open to all those interested in aqua-culture.

Ajibola assured that there was no marginalisation in aqua-culture, adding that the doors are open to all prospective fish farmers, "we want to encourage more people to come," he said.

He further said that the beneficiaries were spread across the 16 local government areas of the state, noting that the state is now leading in aqua-culture.

The CAFAN chairman said the fish juvenile given to the farmers were produced in the state.