Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has announced the increase of primes fuel allocation to enable fishermen to attain bumper yields during the peak fishing season which begins in June. The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in charge of Fisheries, Nii Amasah Namoale, told that in addition to the increased supply of premix, more than 170 landing beach committees have been formed under the restructuring exercise to be solely in charge of the distribution of premix directly to the fishing communities.
In order to boost the coming fishing season MoFA have acquired 1,000 outboard motors through the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) for distribution to both inland and offshore fishermen to help them carry out their fishing expeditions with modern equipment. With this development the Deputy Minister urged the fishing communities to reciprocate the government’s gesture by desisting from the use of undersized nets, dynamite and poisonous chemicals such as DDT for fishing which destroys the fish stock, including the fingerlings.
The Deputy Minister expressed regret that in the past no school or clinic was built for the fishing communities from the profits from the sale of premix and gave an assurance that henceforth the profit made by the Landing Beach Committees will be used to build clinics and schools and purchase fishing nets and gear for fishermen.
