Rep, institute train Rivers women in modern fish smoking

2 months ago 9
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Manuchim Umezuruike

Abiante (middle, left) and House of Representatives member, Manuchim Umezuruike (middle, right) with the beneficiaries of the training exercise

A federal lawmaker, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante and the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research have trained women in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State on modern methods of smoking fish to enhance productivity and sales.

Abiante, representing Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro federal constituency in the House of Representatives, at the closing of a three-day training on Alternative Smoking and Provision of Fish Smoking Kilns to women which he facilitated in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, held in Port Harcourt, while addressing beneficiaries at the grand finale said his intention for the training was to put an end to health hazards associated with traditional methods of smoking fish by bringing the women, who are mainly riverine settlers together and keep them abreast with modern methods of going about their occupation, businesses and stimulate the local economy.

He stated, “When you go to smoke or dry your fish the old way, you inhale a lot of smoke. We are looking at the health aspects now. And when you continuously inhale the smoke, I do not know because I’m not a medical doctor. But I believe it could have medical implications, especially with the lungs.

“So embracing this technology will take you away from that health challenge. The other one is it will add value; it will improve the quality of what you are bringing.”

The federal lawmaker lauded the beneficiaries for taking part in the training, which he noted would enhance their knowledge and improve their lives, saying, “What we’ve tried to do is to let us know that there are better ways of doing the same old things we have always known how to do.

“So what you have learned today would help you to do what you are doing and get it at that level that you would be able to do anything with it. Send it to any part of the world, earn good money, earn good resources.”

Speaking, an Assistant Director, at the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Dr Ibifubara Ayaobu-Cookey, described the training, which he said was meant for fisher folks as a success.

Ayaobu-Cookey said, “This training was meant for fisher folk, especially the women fisher folk, in four clusters. Some of them are doing business in Creek Road Market.

“So that they can help curtail post-harvest loss, which of course, from excess harvest of fish from the sea and not being able to sell all their goods so they can smoke it and give it a longer shelf life so that they can use it later in the day or next time they want to sell.

“The training program has been a success. The women are grateful. They have learned an alternative way, so they’ve now become our disciples to go back into the communities and teach people, a different way to replace traditional smoking methods.

“This training program, if sustained, can also add a lot to the Gross Domestic Product of the country and improve a lot of the riverbank communities and the fisher folk in that area.”

Speaking, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area, Reginald Ekaan, who was the Special Guest at the program, commended the federal lawmaker for taking steps to better the lives of rural women in his constituency.

Ekaen charged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the training to transform their business and move away from the crude method of processing fish.

He said, “At the end of this training, what you are going to take home is that you can do these things, dry fish at ease without much struggling and that’s why the honourable has designed and desired that the real people who are fish smokers in the fishing port and fishing communities should be part of these training.”

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