2014 farmers' day launched #ghana

The Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Sena
Okiti Dua (Mrs) has urged stakeholders in the fishing
industry to ensure that safe quality fishing was done to
enhance production and help produce enough fish for local
consumption.
The Deputy Minister said that at the joint programme of
2013 Farmer's Day Sponsorship Awards night and the
launch of 30th National Farmers' Day to be held this year.
The 2014 Farmers' Day Celebration would be on the theme:
"Eat what you grow".
She said the Ministry had set up the Fisheries Enforcement
Unit (FEU) to enforce the fisheries laws with a view to
ensuring sustainability of Ghana's fish resources, adding
that the FEU was seriously monitoring fishing activities of
fishermen to prevent them from engaging in illegal fishing
practices.
According to the Deputy Minister the theme, which was in
line with the policy direction of the ministry sought to
pursue measures that would bridge the gap between
Ghana's fish production and consumption levels.
She acknowledged Ghanaians love for fish which was the
highest in the world with a per capital consumption of
between 23-25kg as against the world average at 13kg.
According to her fishing products contributed 60% of animal
protein requirement of Ghanaians however the challenge
was how to meet Ghana's local demand for fish when the
demand for fish in 2013 was estimated at over 968,000
metric tons but local production was about 50%.
She disclosed that that gap was filled by fish imports adding
that 50% of Ghana's fish demand was imported.
Hon. Okiti Dua hinted that the Ministry's policy was to
increase fish production through aquaculture hence it had
initiated programmes in that direction.
She observed that a 5-year period (2013-2018) Aquaculture
Development Plan drawn by the ministry sought to improve
production, marketing, environmental sustainability and
social acceptability of fish farm as a viable business
enterprise.
She emphasised that Ghana would be generating
employment and revenue for fisher folks, save foreign
exchange for the importation of fish whilst providing about
220,000 jobs to her people.
She called on fishermen in the marine and island fishing
sector to engage in safe and quality fishing, avoid the use of
unauthorised materials in fishing such as light fishing,
inappropriate net size, dynamite and others which deplete
the fish resources.