Fishers want premix fuel subsidy removed — Study

About 91 per cent of fishers sampled across the coastal communities have agreed to the total removal of subsidies on premix fuel meant to ease the burden on fishing activities in the country.

According to preliminary findings of study, the fishers maintained that the government should rather channel the funds used for the subsidies to provide alternative livelihoods for young people across the fishing communities.

Also, per the findings of the study conducted by the Environment and Natural Resource Research Initiative (ENRRI - EfD Ghana), the current regime had created a system where the product was diverted or hoarded for the benefit of a few people, rather than making it accessible for many artisanal fisherfolk and for that reason must be deregulated to promote fairness and equality in the market.

Study, seminar

The study was on the premix fuel policy in Ghana. It covered views from more than 700 fishers from 22 landing sites across the country’s four coastal regions, including Greater Accra, Volta, Central and Western regions.

The outcome was shared at the EfD Ghana Seminar held at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana in Accra last Monday.

The seminar, on the theme: "Is premix fuel subsidy in Ghana's artisanal fishery desirable?", brought together key stakeholders to discuss critical issues within the country's fisheries sector.

The discussions sought to address the challenges with premix fuel subsidy in Ghana’s artisanal fishery, including presenting preliminary results on its desirability.

Findings

Touching on the findings of the study, the Director at EfD Ghana, Prof. Wisdom Akpalu, stated that nearly all respondents advocated the removal of subsidies for fishing activities.

“Out of 700 fisherfolk, 91 per cent of them agreed to the withdrawal of the subsidy,” he said.

He said instead of subsidising the fuel, which could make it easier for more people to continue fishing in the seas and ultimately deplete stock, the government should channel the funds into providing alternative livelihoods for young people in fishing communities.

That, he said, would help reduce the stress on fish stock and make the closed season initiative introduced by the government through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture more sustainable and achieve its intended purpose.

He added that the study showed the fishermen and fish traders were willing to pay approximately GH¢83 and GH¢87 per gallon of the premix fuel, respectively.

Gradual approach

Commending the findings of the report, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Trobu Constituency and a former Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Moses Anim, proposed a gradual approach to phase out the subsidy regime rather than immediate removal of premix fuel.

He explained that the government had over the years implemented several initiatives to enhance the effective and efficient management of premix fuel.

He said automated initiatives had helped to improve data on fishers, determine the actual premix consumption, monitor the distribution and sale of premix fuel, reduce the complex payment processes and eliminate premix fuel diversions.

Address accessibility

The Director of ISSER, Prof Peter Quartey, noted that the fisherfolk were pushing for the withdrawal of the subsidies due to the challenges associated with accessibility, but might protest once implemented.

“So, I think their call for withdrawal is out of frustration because the product is not always available for them to access.

“I am sure the fisherfolk would not want a subsidy that absolves nearly 70 per cent of their cost of operations to be taken away if it is beneficial to all of them,” he said.