By Paul Mamattah
The General Secretary of the Joma Fish Farmers Association, Joseph Alobuia, has called on the incoming administration, led by John Mahama, to prioritize the aquaculture sector in its policies to address pressing challenges faced by the sector.
Speaking in an interview with the Herald newspaper in Accra, he highlighted the urgent need for government intervention and the critical issues facing the industry, particularly the rising costs of fish feed and the lack of support compared to other agricultural sectors.
Mr. Alobuia explained that the success of fish farming is heavily dependent on the cost of feed, which has escalated significantly, putting a strain on operations and appealed to the incoming administration to address this challenge, as many fish farmers, like himself, rely on feed production to sustain their businesses.
“Our operations are heavily reliant on feed production, and we respectfully ask the incoming President and his team to focus on aquaculture,” he said.
He further emphasized that while other sectors of agriculture receive subsidies, aquaculture remains largely unsupported, despite its significant contribution to job creation and the economy, saying that his operation employs over ten individuals, underscoring the economic importance of the sector.
Another pressing issue for the industry, Mr. Alobuia pointed out, is the rising cost of fingerlings adding that many fingerling producers are struggling due to the high cost of fish feed, leading to an increase in the price of fingerlings.
He argued that stabilizing the price of fish feed would also help stabilize the cost of fingerlings, which would be beneficial for the entire sector.
“I earnestly request that the new government consider our industry and take action to support us. The rising costs of fish feed are particularly impacting fingerling producers, the expenses are making it increasingly difficult to maintain affordable prices for their products”.
“If we could achieve price stability for fish feed, it would also help fingerling producers stabilize their prices,” said Mr. Alobuia.
The General Secretary also raised concerns about the quality of fingerlings available, noting that they are increasingly smaller than the sizes traditionally supplied.
“We used to receive 3-gram and 5-gram fingerlings, occasionally even larger ones. However, now we are primarily receiving fingerlings that weigh only 0.2 grams or 0.3 grams far below one gram,” he lamented.
Additionally, Mr. Alobuia stressed the poor state of transportation infrastructure as another barrier to the success of the industry, pointing out that many customers travel long distances, including from Amasaman, Nsawam, and even Tema, to purchase from Joma fish farmers.
However, the condition of the roads, particularly the incomplete Joma road, poses significant challenges, especially for businesses transporting feeds by truck.
“We kindly ask the incoming administration to prioritize the completion of the Joma road to help ease these challenges for our customers,” Mr. Alobuia said.
As the new government prepares to take office, the Joma Fish Farmers Association is hopeful that their appeals will not only be heard but also acted upon to ensure the growth and stability of Ghana’s aquaculture sector.
