Nigerian mackerel imports continued to increase despite a government’s decision last year to halt imports, New Telegraph Online reported.
Last year, the government stopped issuing quotas to importers to boost local fish production.
According to the Nigerian federal department of fisheries, fish import, especially of mackerel, sardinella, hake, croaker, and herring, remained an increasing phenomenon. It estimated the import level conservatively at 700,000 metric tons.
Between January and June 2018, Russia exported to Nigeria mackerel worth NGN 3.04 billion ($841 million), the Faroe Islands sold fish worth NGN 2.77bn ($767m); Iceland and Ireland exported NGN 1.76bn ($486m) each. The Netherlands and Mauritania also exported mackerel to the country.
