FISHERMEN KICK AGAINST REMOVAL OF SUBSIDY (BACK PAGE)

FISHERMEN along the country’s coast have dismissed suggestions that the removal of government subsidy on premix fuel will restore sanity into the fishing industry.
Explaining their position, chief fishermen in the various fishing communities said the problem with premix fuel was not with its distribution, but rather with the small quantity given to fishermen.
They insisted that removing the subsidy on it would rather increase their cost of production and deepen their current frustration.
At the Tema Canoe Beach, fishermen were of the view that removal of the subsidy would shoot up their production cost, which would also lead to higher prices for local fish and make it less competitive against imported fish.
They said instead of the abolition of subsidy on premix fuel, the government should be urged to endeavour to make more of the product available on the market.
Some of the fishermen were of the view that abolishing the subsidy on premix would further undermine the local industry, to the advantage of importers of frozen fish.
The Tema Chief Fisherman, Nii Odametey, in an interview with the Daily Graphic last Tuesday, also expressed his disappointment at statements which sought to blame fishermen for the shortage of the product on the market.
Nii Odametey said fishermen at the Tema Canoe Beach had no problem with the constitution of the premix committees put in place to manage distribution of premix to fishermen, but that their problem was with the lack of the product.
He said, for instance, that the Association of Canoe Fishermen in Tema had 300 registered members who were supplied with one tanker a week, out of which each fisherman had less than 10 gallons for a whole week of fishing.
Denying allegations that fishermen were diverting the fuel intended to boost their trade, the chief fisherman said the situation on the ground meant that the issue was not about distribution but rather about inadequate supplies.
A member of the premix committee at Kormantse and Abandze, Nana Kow Gyanye, said the last time they had premix was two months ago, adding that now they had to buy super petrol and mix it with engine oil.
In the Central and Western regions, the fishermen said they spent about GH¢350 on one fishing expedition and that if the subsidy was removed, they would spend about double that amount.
Mr J. E. Afful, one of the chief fishermen, said he spent more than GH¢5,000 on premix per trip but hardly made a good catch.
He said the idea of putting the subsidy on storage might be a good one but it would not serve the interest of fishermen now because of their present financial position.
He said the solution to the problem was to release the premix to the chief fishermen and their teams.