Grains: In Nigeria for beer production, in other countries for biofuel

Despite being endowed with good quality water for the rearing of fishes, Nigeria’s aquaculture sector still faces challenges such as inadequate supply of inputs, inadequate database for biological reprogramming of species, insufficient extension and management officers, and environmental degradation among others.

Head of Department, Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Prof. Aderolu Ademola Zaid, who stated this while delivering the University’s 24th Inaugural Lecture, held at the J.F Ade Ajayi Auditorium, titled: “Food-Feed Competition: The Nutritionist as an umpire,” established the fact that there is a problem with the allocation of these resources, while concluding that there should be a principle with which the resources are distributed.

“This is where the Food-Feed allocation comes in and that’s why the linear and circular approach was established. The linear approach is that there must be sufficient production of food materials for human and animal to feed on, but this will eventually lead to degradation of environments. But as for the circular approach, man must be considered first and then animals can eat from the waste that humans have generated.

“The components that are needed to produce animal feeds are also required to produce human feeds and that is where the issue of the competition comes in because we feed virtually on the same sets of ingredients. While other countries are feeding their leftover grains and cereals to their animals, we are using ours to produce beer to the detriment of our health and the production of feed for our animals.

“The concept of Food-Feed competition refers to a situation whereby we can manage the limited resources within the limit that is available and then by doing this, is to ensure that the environment is not tampered with. So therefore, the function of the nutritionist is to ensure that the food is well prepared, well allocated, so that at the end of the day, there won’t be a distorted competition between humans and animals in the environment,” he said.

Prof. Zaid noted that human population is on the increase, but food is limited, and animal nutrition are being reduced to nothing because resources and leftovers meant for them are used by humans, causing imbalance because if the animals are not fed, particularly the aquatic animals (fish), which provide all the necessary nutrients, humans will not also be able to benefit from them when it comes to protein.

“That is why, as food is important for humans, it is also important for animals. Among all these animals, my team and I came to the realisation that aquaculture (fishing) is the best, because it is religiously acceptable across board and it is the only easily digestible nutrient. Then, why must humans now feed on four-legged and three-legged animals because when it comes to the amount of fish needed to feed a cow, it is not even compared to the amount needed to feed a human.

“Fish contains Vitamin B and all other sustainable nutrients, apart from that; it has several economical and medical uses…We can either calibrate the competition of animals on human feed by making use of the tropic level or the human edible protein conversion ratio, but the higher the tropic level, the higher it competes with humans. In order to consider both parties, agro-industrial waste, plant-based material, insects, single-cell protein among other alternatives were suggested.

“But the truth is that the agro-industrial waste is now used for human consumption. Back in the days, industries used to have waste for animals to feed on, but now that they have been mandated to reduce their waste generation between five to 10 per cent, what do animals feed on?

“What we call waste today is used by humans, when it comes to corn, it is now said to be rich in antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and it helps in reducing blood sugar, same thing for boiling of plantain peels. We have also not let the animals rest by using their waste to make oil, which women profess that it is good for the skin, if we do not let go of our greed, it will affect the animals and our environments at large.

“In my own contribution to solving the issue of Food-Feed Struggle, in order to provide food for human, I have worked on rat, fish and dog giving me over 70 publications in different areas attempting to solve this issue. Our research was centered majorly on six areas-finding alternative food ingredients, their content and nutritional health benefits for human consumption.

“Most of our food materials have been rejected abroad because of antibiotics. I tried to find alternatives to the use of antibiotics. I also tried to redefine the aquaculture production system, thereby making it better.”