Accra, Aug. 28, GNA - Government has committed seven million euros from funds allocated from the Second Spanish Protocol towards the construction of six cold stores and refrigeration facilities at some fishing sites, Minister of Fisheries, Mrs Gladys Asmah said on Monday. She said District Assemblies in whose areas the projects would be sited have prepared the sites for work to begin in the last quarter of the year.

Taking her turn on the Meet-the-Press series in Accra on challenges and achievements made, she noted that the facility would comprise blast freezing, ice making facilities to enable fisherman preserve their catch at sea and at shore when they landed at night or when there was glut on the market.

"It has been the objective of the Ministry to modernize the fisheries industry and make fishing safe, attractive and rewarding." Thus over the past years elaborate plans to improve fisheries infrastructure were undertaken and many of which was to provide, fishermen from dangerous and risk fishing environment, especially during high tide and stormy weather.

Mrs Asmah said the Ministry with assistance of Messrs DHV of Holland had done a lot of work on 12 selected land sites, some of which were at Axim and Dixcove in the Western Region, Senya Breku and Winneba in the Central Region, Dzemeni in the Volta Region and Teshie in the Greater Accra Region.

Reports on survey, design and feasibility studies have been submitted on the sites and funding arrangement of 99 million US dollars from the Chinese Government had also been concluded and disbursement scheduled to start when necessary documentations were completed of 10 landing sites and two harbours to begin next year.

On aquaculture (producing fishes in ponds), Mrs Asmah said the Ministry had chosen it as the fulcrum of the country's fisheries policy initiative to augment the shortfalls caused by the dwindling fish stocks resulting in low fish catch.

She said the country's fish requirement was 720,000 metric tones (mt) but the country could produce only 400,000 mt with an import of 200,000mt at the cost of 200 million dollars.

Describing the figures as staggering Mrs Asmah said aquaculture had become the new method for fish production being preached by countries and institutions, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation adding: "The decision we took in February 2005 to push aquaculture forward, we believe is the right one. There have been lot of converts to the idea of growing fish all over the world and Ghana is no exception. "Breathing a new life into the fish industry has meant concentrating more particularly on the development of scientific ways to supplement our marine fish stock deficit, reduce the level and cost of fish import within the shortest possible time to create employment for the youth, especially create wealth and reduce poverty among our people," she said. She said despite the challenges and weakness of the Ministry since its establishment, determination, hard work and resilience had paid off and it would not be deterred by the enormous challenges calling for urgent attention.