Patrick Apoya, SkyFox Limited executive director.

Aquaculture can contribute to meet domestic growing seafood demand

GHANA
Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 23:30 (GMT + 9)

Aquaculture can help Ghana cover a larger part of seafood demand and reduce the country’s expense in imports but a strategic vision is still missing to strengthen its development in the country, states the executive director of a local firm.

Ghana's population of approximately 30 million spans a variety of ethnic, linguistic and religious groups ►

Production from marine, freshwater, and farmed fish sources in Ghana currently cater to about 40 per cent of local demand, which stands at about 100 million tonnes per year.

This means that 60 per cent of demand must be met by imports, amounting to USD 146 million yearly, a figure that is believed to be increasing rapidly as the result of a fall in local production, GhanaWeb reported.

While further dwindle in production from marine and freshwater sources has been predicted in the coming years due to pollution of water-bodies and unsafe and bad fishing practices, consumption is expected to increase by an average of 2.5 per cent from the current 100 million metric tonnes by end of 2019.

Given the issue, Patrick Apoya, Chief Executive Officer of SkyFox Limited – a local firm that won a grant from four international donors to implement an integrated aquaculture and crop production project – believes that it is high time the country embraced sustainable aquaculture.

Royal Danish Seafood Group A/S has increased local employment and ensured stable delivery of fresh fish to the local market, distributors and consumers with a fish farm on Lake Volta in Ghana

“Our fish deficit in the last two or three years has almost exceeded 500,000 tonnes per annum. Our current demand is around 1 million tonnes per year and we are currently producing about 480,000 tonnes per annum. So, we have a deficit of 520,000 tonnes that needs to be bridged,” he told the B&FT in Accra.

In this regard, the executive said marine fish, which constitute the bulk of production, have proved to be unsustainable, and that the volume of catch from Ghana’s sea has fallen by more than half in recent times. Therefore, in his view, “the only way is to look at aquaculture holistically”.

Map of Ghana and Lake Volta

Apoya believes that the country must position itself to not only be self-sufficient, but also a net exporter of fish through the promotion of aquaculture.

In 2005, the Government started a 10-year aquaculture programme to increase production of farmed fish from 5,000 tonnes to 100,000 tonnes. However, as at the end of the programme in 2015, production was 40,000 tonnes.

Aquacultura de Tilapia en areas interiores de Ghana (Photo: dutch-aquaculture-experts.com)

In his view, to promote aquaculture, there is a need for inclusive aquaculture policies to address financial and technical challenges, among others.

He also called for the development of aquaculture infrastructure at all irrigation sites, and the adoption of innovative fish farming methods – like integrated aquaculture and crop production, which allow farmers to treat and use nutrient-rich waste water from fishponds to water their farms.
 
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