Many
Ghanaians
will
experience
hunger
and
malnutrition
by
2030
due
to
anticipated
drop
in
national
fish
production,
Professor
Berchie
Asiedu,
the
Dean,
School
of
Natural
Resources,
University
of
Energy
and
Natural
Resources
(UENR)
has
hinted.
He
said
the
nation’s
fish
consumption
was
expected
to
reach
888,096
tonnes
by
2030;
however,
total
fish
production
was
anticipated
to
constitute
only
about
43
per
cent
of
the
total
fish
requirement.
“This
clearly
shows
that
demand
for
fish
consumption
is
expected
to
outweigh
the
national
supply,”
Prof
Asiedu
explained.
At
the
current
growth
rate,
per
capita
fish
consumption
is
predicted
to
decline
from
28
kg
in
2018
to
23.9
kg
in
2030,
Prof
Asiedu,
stated
saying,
“fish
consumption
would
increase,
but
people
would
be
eating
less
fish.”
Prof
Asiedu
made
this
known
when
speaking
on
a
research
update
session,
organised
by
the
School
of
Natural
Resources
of
the
University
in
Sunyani
on
the
theme
“Managing
our
Natural
Resources:
Academia-Industry
Partnership
for
Sustainable
National
Development.”
The
session
was
attended
by
natural
resources
experts.
Prof
Asiedu
explained
that
as
the
cheapest
and
most
consumed
animal
protein
(60
percent)
in
the
country,
fish
demand
had
increased
rapidly
over
the
past
few
years,
growing
from
960,000
tonnes
in
2010
to
1.1
million
tonnes
in
2020.
Within
the
same
period,
per
capita
fish
consumption
increased
from
24.2
kg
to
27.9
kg
at
a
rate
of
1.6
percent
per
annum.
Following
the
gaps
in
the
trends
of
production
and
consumption,
Prof
Asiedu
called
for
an
urgent
need
for
policies
to
accelerate
aqua-culture
development
in
the
country.
He
also
underlined
the
importance
of
ensuring
general
improvement
in
the
fisheries
management
practices,
as
well
as
exploration
of
adaptive
strategies
and
thereby
improve
the
adaptive
capacity
of
fishers
to
climate
change.
Later
in
an
interview,
Mr.
Hanson
Kodzo
Dzamefe,
the
Bono
Regional
Director
of
the
Fisheries
Commission,
expressed
concern
about
the
nation’s
over-reliance
on
marine
fishes,
and
called
for
private
sector
collaboration
to
develop
the
nation’s
aqua-culture
sector.
He
said
aquaculture
had
huge
potential
for
job
creation
and
food
security,
saying
the
inland
fishing
value
chain
could
create
millions
of
jobs
if
investments
were
put
into
the
sector.
Mr
Dzamefe
said
aquaculture
remained
a
lucrative
business,
and
therefore,
called
on
the
unemployed
youth
and
graduates
to
engage
in
commercial
fish
production
to
better
their
lots
and
advance
national
food
security
too.
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