Shortage of premix fuel causes worry among fishermen in New Takoradi

• Posted on January 10, 2024
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

There isn’t enough premix fuel available, which has alarmed some fishermen at the New Takoradi Landing Beach.

Concerns were also raised regarding the fictitious scarcity that certain dishonest actors in the supply chain had created, raising the price of fish protein on the Ghanaian market and driving up the expense of fishing trips.

The spokesperson for the fisherman at New Takoradi, Nana Atoabo, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the lack of premix gasoline was causing a lot of anglers to stay idle at home and to face severe financial difficulties.

“We are suffering, many fishermen have fallen out of business due to fuel prices….one needs about 12,000 cedis to buy a drum of the commodity from hoarders of the premix fuel.”

He continued by saying that local fishermen only received four months’ worth of gasoline throughout the previous year. “The closed season and other interventions put in place by the Government are helpful, but fishers cannot go to seal because of the shortage of premix and it’s a source of worry to us.”

Building petrol pumps close to the landing beaches or connecting with filling stations where the commodity would be adequately regulated are two suggestions Nana Atoabo made to the administration.

He observed that insufficient fishing gear, such as canoes and outboard motors, posed a danger to fishermen’s companies and was one of their other worries. He prayed that the government would recognise fishermen on Farmer’s Day in the same way that it recognises farmers.

-GNA