Ghana’s fishing sector may face further decline if government does not undertake the required capital injection needed to revamp it, the General Agriculture Workers Union(GAWU) has warned.
According to figures released by the Ghana Statistical Service on the first quarter GDP of 2016, the fishing sub sector recorded the least growth of negative 1.1% compared to 0.8% in the fourth quarter of 2015.
By this, the sub- sector declined by over 1.0 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period in the last quarter of 2015.
Speaking to Citi Business News in an interview, the General Secretary of the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) Mr. Edward Kareweh maintained that the sub-sector is an important area that has the economic potential to generate substantial foreign earnings through export if it gets the needed capital injection.
“Investment is not good in the whole of agriculture sector and the fisheries sub-sector is no exception. The sub sector is very important and can bring a lot of foreign income if it gets the required support,” he said.
Mr. Kareweh was of the view that it is time for a rigorous policy framework to address the issues plaguing the subsector since it also provides a livelihood for a number of Ghanaians.
“The negative growth we are seeing even though it’s the first quarter of this year still raises concerns. It indicates that the sub-sector lacks a lot that is needed. This is why we are calling for a new policy direction to make it viable,” he said.
He stated that the subsectors of agriculture are very pertinent to the total output and records, hence need all the attention to increase output.
“We have always said that we have to pay attention to the sub-sectors by addressing the challenges that confront the small units. That approach will help identify the areas that need immediate attention,” he advised.
He explained that addressing the micro challenges will provide effective solutions that will outline how the sub-sectors of agric can be improved.
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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana