Premix shortage hits Western Region

Shortage of premix fuel in some coastal areas of the Western Region is seriously affecting the activities of local fishermen and fishmongers in the fishing communities.

The fishermen have asserted that some of them had not received the product for their fishing expedition for the past three months.

The current happening, according to them, had increased the bad economic situation of the people because most of them depend on fishing for their livelihood.

Sekondi Fishing Harbour

A visit by DAILY GUIDE to the Bosumtwi-Sam Fishing Harbour in Sekondi yesterday showed that majority of the fishermen at the beach were whiling away time as they awaited in vain for the arrival of a consignment of premix fuel.

A fisherman, Kwesi Esson, said as a result of the shortage, some fishermen were facing financial difficulties especially the payment of their children’s school fees, whilst others credit food to feed their families.

He pointed out that the situation had translated into the price of fish which had become relatively high.

He then made a passionate appeal to the government to increase the premix fuel it allocated to the fishing harbour because of the influx of fishermen from other fishing communities to the area.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that the Nzema coastal communities were among some of the worst hit.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, Papa Akroma, a well-known fisherman at Axim, noted that the area was the only coastal community in the region with the highest number of canoes, yet the fishermen did not get the required quantity of premix that could satisfy them.

He indicated that the landing beaches in the entire Nzema East Municipality needed at least six tankers of the product per week to be distributed to the fishermen.

He disclosed that in 2009 government decided to reconstitute a National Premix Fuel Committee (NPC) that would manage the supply of premix fuel to fishermen.

He, however, asserted that some leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the premix committees were creating artificial shortages of the product in the coastal towns.

He indicated that it was very pathetic that the alleged NDC middlemen bought the product in bulk from the suppliers and sold to fishermen at exorbitant prices adding.

The fisherman alleged that the NDC activists serving on the committee normally bought the product for GH¢375.00 per drum in large quantities, thereby creating artificial shortage, and later sold the product to the fishermen at GH¢500.00 per drum.

When DAILY GUIDE contacted the Chief Fisherman at the Sekondi Fishing Harbour, Nana Kobina Asankomah, he confirmed that indeed there had been some underhand dealings by the NDC activists serving on the premix landing beach committees.

He alleged that the party members on the premix fuel committees were unfairly diverting and distributing the product to fishermen.