Minister meets members of the fishing industry

Accra, April 15, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and the President's Special Initiatives, has met a cross section of individuals in the fishing industry to discuss with them issues affecting the sector.

The meeting, held at the conference room of the Ministry, was attended by 70 representatives of fish producers, processors, exporters, cold-store operators, waste management personnel and other allied fishing industry operatives, said a statement issued by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry.

According to the statement, Mr Asiedu stated the importance of the fishing industry in Ghana, saying, Ghanaians obtain about 60 percent of their protein requirement from fish.

He said the industry employs about 10 percent of the population, while the fisheries sub-sector accounts for about 5 percent of the country's agricultural Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

The Deputy Minister said fish export had become the country's most important non traditional export commodity, adding that in 2002, Ghana exported almost 25 million dollars worth of fish and fish products.