Some fishermen operating from Tema Canoe Beach say for the past three weeks, the beach has not been supplied with the needed pre-mix fuel to power their outboard motors.
Nana Kweigyah, the National President of the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG), said the situation with premix fuel supply and distribution at the landing beaches was very challenging for artisanal fishermen.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Tema, on the premix situation, that, “I have heard of a few landing beaches that have received more than one and many landing beaches that have received just one or none since fishing resumed after the closure. Supply in all cases is erratic and woefully inadequate.”
He said artisanal fisheries were seasonal, and the period of active fishing is now; therefore, the unavailability of the premix greatly affects the fishermen and others who depended on their activities, such as fish mongers and fish smokers.
He expressed the hope that the government would urgently increase the supply of premix, which the 2024 budget captured at 110,700,000 litres to promote
Nii Anyetei Mensah, a fisherman, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the unavailability of the premix fuel for the past three weeks had put untold hardship on them and their families.
Nii Mensah explained that fishers were at home for one month without any source of income during the fishing closed season in July and were therefore happy when the ban was lifted on August 1.
He added that unfortunately, their dream of getting more catch to make up for the financial loss during the closed season had been cut short without the fuel to go to sea.
Mr. Adjeirteh Adjei, another fisherman, noted that the canoe beach received its share of the premix fuel for the first week after the opening of the sea, adding that they were yet to receive any fuel for the past three weeks.
“We plead with the government to give us our supply of the premix fuel, because the moment there is a shortage, a lot of middlemen come in; they are selling premix in gallons at the shores even though the various stations have not received any at the place; the question is, where do they get it from?” he added.
Source: GNA
