Norway wants FG to delist stockfish from ineligible item for forex

The Director, Africa Norwegian Seafood Council, Trond Kostveit has restated the need for the Federal Government to delist stockfish from items not eligible for forex.

Recall that stockfish is among the list of items the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it could no longer allocate forex for its importation into the country.

But during an interactive workshop with stakeholders and regulatory authorities involved in stockfish and seafood imports and exports trade in Lagos, Kostveit repeated the appeal to the government to delist stockfish and thereby get access to cheaper currency, which will reduce the cost of the produce to the consumers.

He said the fact that fish is on the list; it has led to an increase in prices of stockfish in the market.

Disclosing that Nigerian/Norwegian seafood relationship is over a century, he added, “Nigeria is one of our largest markets, it is the largest importer of Norwegian stockfish and has long traditions in Nigerian cuisine. In 2020, Norway exported more than 10,000 metric tonnes of stockfish to Nigeria.

On her part, a consultant, Abbey Cheke said the Norwegian Seafood Council has organised initial competence training with the objective to help Nigeria’s aquaculture qualifying for export.

“In order to show that trade is reciprocal, we decided that we will go the extra mile to promote Nigeria’s aquaculture products. We have trained government officials and aquaculture practitioners in a sustainable way. The stockfish is not in competition with any aquaculture products in Nigeria. Stockfish survive in very cold weather but the Nigerian water is temperate. The storage of the stockfish lasts for more than two years. No additives or oil is added.”

She added that it has been verified that stockfish is nutritious for everybody, also for children. “It is the cheapest form of protein, ” she stated.

The Deputy Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Umoru James stressed the need for every investor to engage in legal business.