Nana Abrakwa Asare, the Administrator at the National Premix Secretariat, has warned unscrupulous persons who uses illegal means to get premix fuel, hoard them and later sell the product above government approved price to fishermen to desist from that practice.
“The government is subsidizing the premix fuel for fishermen for them to be able to purchase the product at an affordable price but some people are trying to frustrate the effort,” he said.
At the inauguration of Canoe Owners and Fishermen Association in the Western Region at Axim in the Nzema East Municipality, he said that the secretariat was determined to ensure that premix fuel was used for the purpose for which they were distributed to the fishermen.
The objective for the formation of the association was, among other things, to bring together all canoe fishermen in the Western Region under an umbrella to train them on the appropriate methods of fishing and to aid in the sustainable development of the fishery industry.
The association also intends to help educate the members on the appropriate fishing methods to help attract investors into the fishing sector in the region.
“We have conducted a lot of education on premix fuel and its use; and now we want to digitize the selling of premix to the extent that if you do not have the association’s card, you cannot purchase the product,” he added.
Nana Kofi Annan, President of the Canoe Owners and Fishermen Association, said fishing had been the major source of livelihood, particularly for most people dwelling around the coastal part of the region.
He admitted that technology had come to complement the traditional ways of doing the business.
He, however, said irrespective of the advancement in technology, other negative methods such as fishing with toxic substances and other illegal methods adversely affected the fishing business.
“Against this backdrop we decided to come together to educate ourselves on the proper and safe methods of fishing. We plead with the government to assist us with a well furnished office for the smooth running of the association,” he noted.
—Daily Guide