Local fishermen damn govt mitigation policy

Barely 24 hours after the president's announcement of a removal of excise duties and debt recovery levies on premix fuel, fishermen in the country say the move will not help the situation.

For the fishermen, the main problem has been the unfair competition posed by some industrial vessels mostly from China who engage in pair-trawling activities that are gradually putting the local fishermen out of business.

Spokesperson for the Fishermen Association, Ato Sator, in an interview with Joy News said although the tax cut on premix fuel announced by the President on Thursday is to ultimately see the price of fish reduced, he is sceptical about his colleagues' compliance with the measure.

In the face of perhaps the persistent poor catch which he blamed on foreign competitors, Mr Ato maintained that fishermen in the country could not reduce the price of their fish.

“It cannot go down because the little that you get, in fact, you have to sacrifice before you can meet your cost; you cannot make any profit at all,” he stated.

Meanwhile, transport owners in Accra have hailed the President's intervention describing as a timely relief.

Speaking to Joy News, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Alhaji Issah Tetteh said he is hopeful the package will bring down the prices of petroleum products.

He said talks have been ongoing among drivers in the capital city to ensure that they charge the right fares.

He however warned that drivers may not comply in the event of an insignificant reduction.

Poultry farmers

The relief package also included a waiver of taxes on wheat and yellow corn used as feed for poultry.

But some poultry farmers say the waiver makes little difference. Like the fishermen, the farmers say the main problem they have been faced with, over the years, is unfair competition and not the cost of feed.

Speaking to Joy News, Ken Quartey, a poultry farmer maintained that although the move could support the industry, a hedge against unfair competition may do it better.

Story by Fiifi Koomson