The Bulk Fish Importers Association of Ghana has expressed worry over a possible shortage of fish in the country if government fails to address the challenges confronting those engaged in the importation of fish into the country.
Emphasising Ghana’s fish production deficit, the association says the challenges being faced by its members have the capacity to affect fish importation and production in the country.
In a statement issued by the association, co-signed by the Secretary of the Bulk Fish Importers Association of Ghana, Alfred Fugayire Keluru and the Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG), Samson Asaki Awingobit, the fish importers enumerated the various challenges confronting their business including: “The astronomical increment of the Fish Import Levy from GHS15.00 to USD17.25 (GHS 251) per metric ton, since January 2023.”
The statement said it is very alarming for such a whopping 1,573 percent increment when businesses across the world are struggling to even adapt to the global economic crises.”
The association bemoaned the recent removal of the 30 per cent benchmark value has also affected our import business, whereas the recent 2.5 percent VAT increment has become an albatross on our operations.
The association further bemoaned the “introduction of the recently approved 3 tax bills by parliament which has since received a Presidential accent.”
The association noted that: “With the general knowledge that fish prices have increased internationally in costs and charges, making fish import expensive, the ordinary Ghanaian would find it difficult to meet their protein requirement over a possible fish shortage in the country if government fails to put in place measures to address the situation.”
The association, therefore, indicated its willingness to meet government in order to find solutions to what it described as “teething challenges such as the astronomical increase in the fish import levy which has the potential of affecting the fish industry.”
