The Mfantseman NDC Acknowledges Fisher Folks For Being Patience

The Mfantseman constituency seizes this opportunity to acknowledge the effort of the fisherfolks across the country( Mfantseman in particular) of the restraints exercised during the one month ban on fishing activities. It can never be comic relief for someone to have starved you without alternatives under the guise of closing season to improve stock going forward.

However, we are of the view that, in as much as the close season is important to fishing toward sustaining fish growth, curtailing imports and balancing the fiscals positively, it is also appropriate to manage the timing adequately to avoid overburdening the stakeholders in question in the end.

To us, the close season in June was not scientific and we challenge govt to disprove this claim. If for nothing at all, and the government appears to have been on top of its job in the areas of fishing and aquaculture, and also the proposition of closure in August last year was anything to write home about, we could have seen consistency in its proposition.

Because methodology of every research ought to have some sort of consistency in principle.

The reason for this year June closure is still not known, and we have ministers, MPs MMDCEs and appointees of govt who appear to have the fisherfolks at heart, but still allowed the central govt of Nana Addo to impose a ban without absolute alternative. As a matter of fact, one cannot also lose sight of the loss of lives and properties this closure has caused in coastal belts. Talk of the absolute shortage of fishes which led to the creation of monopolistic markets for foreign fish items hence inelastic demands within this one month- clearly govt ought to have provided alternatives.

Lastly, the antidote to correct the negative stunted growth of fisheries sector ( thus -6.8% to GDP in 2018 ) goes beyond closure and we ask the govt of the day to start looking to protect the fishing prospects in the country.

Indeed, life has become unbearable for the fisherfolks and the Mfantseman NDC sympathises with them and hoping that this closure, though unnatural, will have some impact on them.

Long live Ghana
Long live Mfantseman
Long live NDC
Signed;
Dr. Eric Stanley Acquah - Communications officer

0249955055
Comrade John Bambir
Deputy communications officer
0544970076