Stakeholders in the fishing industry have welcomed government’s decision to digitise the supply and distribution of premix fuel in the country.
The measure is to reduce the diversion and hoarding of the subsidised petroleum product central to artisanal fishers in the marine and inland fisheries sector to power their outboard motors for fishing expeditions.
Already, a pilot project has started at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region, with fishermen and canoe owners registered and provided with the electronic cards with which they could buy the product.
Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Tuesday, President of the Ghana Inshore Fishermen Association, Joseph Nii Armah Quaye, said they are elated by the initiative.
According to him, under the fully automated premix fuel digitisation programme, fishermen would be required to use canoe identification cards to buy premix fuel.
This, Mr Quaye explained will ensure transparency and block leakages in the premix fuel trade by middlemen mostly from political parties.
The Ghana Inshore Fishermen Association President said the fishing industry is near collapse due to the activities of these middlemen who sell premix fuel to fishermen at exorbitant price.
“I commend the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson for ensuring that we get the premix fuel for fishing,” he noted.
Mr Quaye said the pilot will begin at 50 landing beaches before it will be extended to all 200 across the country.
However, a fisherman at Elmina in the Central region, John Quayson, popularly known as Maanoma, was skeptical about the viability of the project.
He said even at the pilot stage, premix is still being smuggled and sold to people who are not fishermen.
Maanoma said until all the loopholes are blocked, digitising supply and distribution of premix fuel will be a failure.