Ghana to meet target in fish production

Ghana aims to produce 100,000 metric tonnes of fish annually by 2016, but many of the fish cages that should be in production are empty because the first harvest from those cages did not meet the expectations of investors.

This is because investors are not well informed about the business, whilst some leave their fish farms in the hands of untrained persons along the beaches, leading to poor management of their investments.

Currently, the country produces 38,000 metric tonnes of fish annually.

Dr Seth Koranteng Agyenkwa of the Water Research Institute (WRI) disclosed this at the Eastern Regional Research, Extension Farmer Linkage Committee Review meeting at Koforidua.

He said the WRI has developed a technology for breeding of either only male fish or mixed tilapia and catfish, was also developing fish feed locally, to help reduce the cost of fish farming in the country.

Dr Agyenkwa said the Institute has also developed good parent stocks for production of high quality fingerlings, and urged hatcheries to use them.

He advised investors to use high quality fingerlings to enable them to have good returns on their investments.

Dr Agyenkwa said experts were in the process of zoning water bodies in the country to demarcate areas where fish farming could be most suitable to help promote the industry.

Ms Prosperous Anku, Assistant Director, Extension Service, explained that the forum had been used over the years to resolve critical concerns of farmers.

Earlier in an opening remark,, Professsor Paa Nii Johnson of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), urged the participants to come up with most critical concerns of farmers in the agricultural value chain for consideration by research and policy makers.