What inspired you to start a career in aquaculture?
When I completed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program in 2014, I moved to a new city, Ibadan, and began training with a veterinarian. Since I lived in a city, I was interested in starting my own agribusiness. However, I had limited space (land), resources (finances), and knowledge (the business side of farming).
When a neighbor offered to let me use his garage for anything I wanted, an aquarium was the easiest project to tackle that fit my limited space and low budget profile. So I started with two aquariums and a few customers. Then I realized that I needed more water and more space to keep more fish. I tried to buy an imported tarpaulin pond, but it was too expensive for me. So I went to Lagos, sourced materials and designed a portable tarpaulin pond myself. Asher Royal Produce Limited was established in 2014 and currently has over 500 fishponds installed across 36 states in Nigeria.
How large is your farm and what kinds of seeds do you produce?
We have four farms that we operate ourselves, and we currently also manage 11 partner farms and have oversight roles on six farms. Run a BOT (build, operate, transfer) model. So we build a farm, work with the financier’s staff to operate it for a year, and fully hand it over after a pre-assigned deadline.
Our headquarters in Itami has 36 earthen ponds, each 20 x 10 meters, and several tank and tarpaulin fishponds. We produce 26 tons of catfish, 12 tons of tilapia and 3 tons of heterotis every year from here.
These 36 ponds can accommodate 54,000 fish in each cycle. The turnover for the three cycles each year is equivalent to 150 million naira (79,515 euros).
What kind of production system do you operate?
We use earthen ponds for our catfish, tilapia, heterotis and carp farms. We use tarpaulin fishponds for fish farms in urban environments. We use Wolffia as one of the baits for herbivorous fish (tilapia, heterotis, carp) and Black Soldier fly as one of the baits for carnivorous fish (catfish). Although Black Soldier Fly is only a supplementary feed, it has reduced overall feed costs and increased our farm’s profitability by 11%.
What equipment and skills do I need to operate them?
We use solar pump machines, both submersible pumps and mud pumps. We use digital scales, grading equipment, and water monitoring equipment. We are currently researching automatic feeders and solar powered aerators. That would be interesting.
At Showemimo, we use a combination of earthen ponds and tarpaulin ponds in our agriculture.
How do you source youth?
We currently raise our own catfish and tilapia fry, but we also have partner farms that supply us with heterotis and carp. We collect over 300,000 chicks each year.
What are the main challenges in setting up and operating a farm?
One of the first challenges we faced when advocating tilapia was the time it took for the tilapia to reach 1 kg. Catfish can grow to 1 kg in 6 months using pelleted feed, while tilapia can take over a year.
Thankfully, more genetically improved tilapia species are now available and the advent of black soldier fly farming has helped alleviate the high cost of commercial feed.
Fuel costs and insufficient electricity supply to pump water are also major challenges.
What worries you most about your job?
My biggest worries are flooding and political instability. Another concern is effectively managing over 30 staff located in different states of the country. We just have to deal with a lot of pranks and intrigues.
What is your typical day at work?
My company manages multiple farms, so we work in teams. I have a field team that includes a farm manager or supervisor for each farm, a supervisory team that moves between farms, and a management team that runs the company as a whole.
I try to visit one farm every week and actively participate in agricultural activities. Therefore, I try to visit during fish sorting, average weight measurement, and sales. When I’m on the farm, I wake up pretty early, sometimes as early as 5:30 a.m., and walk around the farm, watch the fish, and pray. It’s a good quiet time habit. I then monitor the time the staff arrive and see how efficiently their activities are being carried out. Processes should be repeatedly reviewed and cross-checked to ensure that the schedule is highly efficient.
Showemimo takes a hands-on approach to farm management
What has been your most interesting experience in aquaculture?
Build a farm in a remote area from Nigeria to Ghana. I conducted virtual training sessions for clients and oversaw the build-out of the farm through its first sale. It was a very interesting journey.
What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
We are proud to have been able to engage so many young people in aquaculture. Young people often associate agriculture with monotonous or unskilled labor. But we have shown some young people that aquaculture has a whole value chain and a wide range of industry and job roles.
Is there a person or organization in particular that has helped you?
I recently met Willy Fleuren, a Dutch fish farmer who has been farming fish in Nigeria for years. I stumbled across his book this year and couldn’t put it down. I have read two of his books and can completely relate to his experiences and ideals. I hope I can meet him someday.
Inspirations in the agricultural world include African farmer Mogaji (Afiorwa Mogaji’s adopted name) and Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
If you could solve one problem in the aquaculture industry, what would it be?
I would like a more efficient and affordable solar powered pump. We also want more efficient and affordable solar post-harvest equipment.
Showemimo wants to be a leader in aquaculture innovation and advocacy
What advice would you give to other fish farmers?
I read about the Japanese Kaizen philosophy. I believe that work styles and personal efficiency can always be continuously improved. I think we should all be willing to learn, unlearn, and unlearn. Networking is also very important.
Please tell us more about your training and mentoring role.
Setting up and managing farms across the country means hiring new staff and hiring new talent. I also have a YouTube channel with a growing following across Africa. This means that training needs to be held on a very regular basis as we are usually inundated with inquiries. Training often extends to teaching and speaking engagements. That’s where my nickname “Akinfish” came from. In fact, this is a really fun part of my job. Because I can encourage newcomers and let them know about research and innovations that are working for me.
Are you using AI on your farm?
I have a master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and have seen firsthand the benefits of data in every enterprise. Remote sensing is very important in aquaculture because it allows fish density and other water quality parameters to be monitored and managed remotely. Although this is not yet happening in Nigeria, the potential and opportunities exist. Currently in operation is a farm management system and software that allows for tracking of resources and processes within the farm. That’s how AI is currently being used. However, AI also has great potential in fish handling and water management operations in aquaculture, and I would like to work in that field.
How do you think aquaculture in Nigeria should evolve to reach its full potential?
I think aquaculture in Nigeria needs to evolve from just basic production to exploring the entire value chain of the fish produced. We know that we now have fish sausages in this country, but we also know that there is still a lot of room to explore in the cold value chain for locally produced fish. Better post-harvest processing will help bring more local fish to our plates. This will stimulate industry growth and encourage governments to make more natural water resources available for aquaculture.
What is your ultimate goal in the aquaculture field?
I want to be a leader in aquaculture innovation, marketing, and advocacy. And I think our agricultural system can and should be improved.
