The United States Development Agency (USDA) report has predicted a rise in the demand for fish products and seafood in Ghana. This the USDA attributed to the rapid growth of Ghana’s hospitality industry, among others.
Ghana has one of the highest rates of dependence on fish for nutrition in Africa, with fish providing 60 percent of animal protein intake and estimated per capita fish consumption at 25kg.
The USDA report indicates that Ghana imported $1.3million in seafood and fish products in 2020 and doubled the importation, reaching $2.9million in 2021.
“Growth in import demand of seafood and fish products is expected to continue with Ghana’s economy reviving to pre-pandemic growth pattern, as the population increases, and local fish production continues to stagnate. The rapid growth in the country’s hospitality industry and the food services subsector, in particular, are why the seafood subsector will continue to remain attractive to importers.”
USDA report
Ghana, a heavy importer of seafood and fish product
The total value of seafood and fish products imported into Ghana amounted to $2.9million last year, a colossal increase of 123 percent of previous years value , the latest report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals.
The report stated that the amount constituted some 343,000 metric tonnes of seafood and fish products imported in 2021 and added that the imports comprised everyday fish products such as mackerel, horse mackerel, sardines, hake, croaker, and red snapper.
However, trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that U.S. seafood exports reached an all-time high of $7.9million in 2017 and remained above $7million before the COVID-19 pandemic, after which a sharp decline was observed, with recorded sales of $1.3million in 2020.
The report presented that Ghana’s seafood market presents an excellent opportunity for $7million before the COVID-19 pandemic, after which a sharp decline was observed, with recorded sales of $1.3million in 2020. The report indicated that Ghana’s seafood market presents an excellent opportunity for U.S.
A call to action by recent report
A recent study has called on the Marine Fisheries Research Division to carefully design planned interventions to address the climate vulnerabilities fishers in the coastal regions of Ghana face, adding that trawlers on the Ghanaian sea are regulated.
The study also called on the Fisheries Ministry to design ‘climate smart-fishing activities’ for fishers to adhere to safe fishing practices and the general public to keep Ghana’s water bodies free and clean from waste materials, adding that restocking Ghana waters with fingerlings yearly would help improve the livelihoods of these fishers.
The Fisheries Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, has created awareness through the fisheries ministries and enforced strict measures for all fishermen to adhere to the closed season. However, local producers are still not meeting domestic demands.
Some fish experts have suggested that more sensitization be done on the ‘state of affairs of Ghana’s fisheries’ adding that it would enlighten stakeholders to enter the aquaculture business, prompting fishermen to adhere to all the safety protocols regarding fishing.
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