The Eastern Regional Office of the Fisheries Commission has embarked on a campaign to encourage women to embrace aquaculture to boost the local economy, create jobs, and contribute to food security.
Aquaculture is the practice of breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in a controlled water environment for various purposes, such as commercial, recreational, or public use.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Francis Barnes, the Eastern Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission, said it was important to increase female participation in aquaculture.
He said it could lead to the successful implementation of the Ghana National Aquaculture Development Plan (GNADP) for 2023 to 2027.
According to him, the GNADP has set a goal to significantly boost commercial fish production from 89,376 metric tonnes (mt) in 2021 to 211,697 mt by the end of 2027, with an annual growth rate of 15.5 per cent.
Given this goal, he said GNADP provided fish farmers, including women, with a less cumbersome way of obtaining funds for investment in aquaculture on competitive terms.
He said fish farmers could take advantage of sustainable and emerging aquaculture technology, like the Recirculatory Aquaculture System, to improve production and enjoy various other benefits.
Mr. Barnes urged women to seize the GNADP opportunities, as they also play a role in enhancing food security in the country.
He said out of the 450 fish farmers in the eastern region, 30 were women, adding, “The number of women fish farmers has, however, increased from four in 2020 to 30 in 2023.”
Mr Barnes said the significant increase in the population of women fish farmers in the region has contributed to the appreciable increase in aquaculture production.
“Catfish production has seen a 28.11 per cent increase from 3151.91 metric tonnes in 2021 to 4037.98 metric tonnes in 2022, with an expected 30 per cent increase over the 2022 figure in 2023.”
Mr. Barnes said however that tilapia production was projected to drop nationally by 20 per cent in 2023 due to the Akosombo dam spillage, and that the region recorded a 51.42 per cent increase from 36,783.05 metric tonnes in 2021 to 55,695.40 metric tonnes in 2022.
GNA
DL/ENA
16 Jan. 2024
Picture Captions: Kdua Economics Women Aquaculture – Men harvesting catfish
Kdua Economics Women Aquaculture – Catfish farming in septic tanks
