Tema fishermen cry for premix fuel

Some fishermen operating from Tema Canoe Beach say that for the past three weeks, the beach has not been supplied with the needed pre-mix fuel to power their outboard motors.

Nana Kweigyah, the National President of the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) said the situation with pre-mix fuel supply and distribution at the landing beaches was very challenging for artisanal fishermen.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Tema on the pre-mix situation, “I have heard of a few landing beaches that have received more than one and many landing beaches that have received just one or none since fishing resumed after the closure. Supply in all cases is erratic and woefully inadequate.”

He said artisanal fisheries are seasonal, and the period of active fishing is now; therefore, the unavailability of the pre-mix greatly affects the fishermen and others who depend on their activities, such as fish mongers and fish smokers.

He expressed the hope that the government would urgently increase the supply of pre-mix, which the 2024 budget captured at 110,700,000 liters, to promote.

Nii Anyetei Mensah, a fisherman, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the unavailability of the pre-mix fuel for the past three weeks had put untold hardship on them and their families.

Nii Mensah explained that fishers were at home for one month without any source of income during the fishing closed season in July and were therefore happy when the ban was lifted on August 1.

He added that unfortunately, their dream of getting more catch to make up for the financial loss during the closed season had been cut short without the fuel to go to sea.

Adjeirteh Adjei, another fisherman, noted that the canoe beach received its share of the pre-mix fuel for the first week after the opening of the sea, adding that they were yet to receive any fuel for the past three weeks.

“We plead with the government to give us our supply of the pre-mix fuel because the moment there is a shortage, a lot of middlemen come in; they are selling pre-mix in gallons at the shores even though the various stations have not received any at the place; the question is, where do they get it from?” he added.