GHANA – Ghana’s largest tilapia producing company, Tropo Farms Limited, has opened a new depot at Kasoa, Central region of Ghana, bringing to five the number of depots it operates in the country.
The company use a combination of tanks, ponds, and net pens for breeding, nursery and grow-out in Lake Volta, producing tilapia sold under the brand name Volta Catch Tilapia.
The new facility is aimed to enable Tropo Farms get closer to customers and meet the growing demand.
Mr Francis Zimmeleh, Consultant Corporate Strategy and Chairman of the occasion, revealed that the company plans to open another depot in Tamale to serve the people of the five northern regions and create more employment opportunities, especially for young people and women.
He further noted that the new depot would generate additional revenue to the government for its numerous development projects.
Mrs Hawa Koomson, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, praised the management of Tropo Farms for the project indicating it is in line with the Ministry’s development agenda of promoting sustainable aquaculture.
In particular, the depot would contribute to efficient marketing of fish and also lead to the reduction of postharvest losses in Ghana’s fisheries sector.
Ghana is one of the leading producers of tilapia in Sub Saharan Africa, with a fish consumption of 25 kilos per capita, higher than the estimated averages of 18.9 kg and 10.5 kg for the world and Africa, respectively.
Demand for fish is higher than local supply. Despite a recent surge in production, the fisheries sector trails at an estimated shortfall of more than 20,000 metric tonnes, reports Ghana News Agency.
To this end, the country spends US$200 million annually to import fish to shore up its fish requirements.
The low supply is attributed to illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activities which have contributed significantly to a decline in fish stocks, indicated Ghana News Agency.
To curb the menace of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activities, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has kick started the implementation of National Plan of Action.
Components of this plan, he indicated, include fish catch certification, reactivation and installation of vessel monitoring systems (VMS), automatic identification system (AIS) on vessels, port, and beach inspections, and sea patrols.
He added that Ghana also supports the principle of a global convention in this area.
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