Gambia: FAO Presents Items Worth D2.2 Million to Fishing Site Workers
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) via the Department of Fisheries just lately donated fish preserving supplies value about two million dalasis (D2, 000,000) to personnel at Banjul fishing port.
The gesture contains 250 cooler boxers, 152 gloves, 152 knives, 152 aprons, 152 buckets and 152 tarpaulins. It aims to assistance individuals operating in the fishing marketplace to maintain their fish and solutions.
A capture evaluation survey of 2018, 2019 and 2020 suggests that The Gambia’s general fisheries manufacturing followed an upward craze from 71,926.93 tons in 2019 and 78,157.72 tons in 2020.
Artisanal fishing accounted for almost 71{aa306df364483ed8c06b6842f2b7c3ab56b70d0f5156cbd2df60de6b4288a84f} of the total capture in 2019 and 2020, of which above 80{aa306df364483ed8c06b6842f2b7c3ab56b70d0f5156cbd2df60de6b4288a84f} came from the Atlantic Ocean and the reminder from inland waters.
Fish is hugely susceptible to deterioration without having any preservative or processing evaluate, and owing to its chemical composition, fish is a perishable food items content, and its flavor and texture adjust rapidly all through storage after seize.
Representing the Minister of Fisheries and Water Source, Ahmed Tijan, principal assistant secretary at Ministry mentioned abnormal perishes of fish and fisheries goods by submit-harvest losses is one of the greatest worries of fisheries sector in the past 50 decades.
On the other hand, the job, he explained, is necessary to the use of fish to make improvements to dietary requirements of the population, therefore expanding employment options as very well expanding Gambian participation in the fisheries sector.
“The undertaking is as a result a direct complement to what we are aiming at and I am hopeful that it will also have synergy with our advancement actions,” he claimed.
Momodou Sidibeh, deputy director of Division of Fisheries mentioned expenditure in the reduction of write-up-harvest losses remain central approach of policy place of write-up harvest and high-quality handle as advisable in the National Improvement Approach and fisheries and aquaculture policy.
“Submit- harvest loses have a profound adverse affect on fishing communities whose status and money normally depend on submit-harvest routines. This kind of loses also have a detrimental effects on the socio-financial life of fishing communities and cut down the volume of animal protein and earnings offered to a significant segment of the populace,” he claimed.
Director Sidibeh said The Gambia authorities as a result of the Ministry of Fisheries and H2o Methods proceeds to give large precedence notice to rational and sustainable growth of the fisheries sector. This sector, he mentioned, supports shut to 50 percent a million people today instantly and indirectly.
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“This sector has an crucial position in the socio-financial improvement of the state. The overall significance of the sector simply cannot be around emphasised primarily as it relates to work development notably for Gambian youths like women of all ages, era of income and international exchange earnings, contribution to food and diet protection, and poverty alleviation,” he said.
Symbolizing FAO place rep, Dr. Mustapha Ceesay, FAO state director mentioned the undertaking is made to fortify the ability of fish processors and traders specially gals, by way of the production of large-good quality fish goods using the recently introduced using tobacco oven to offer chilly chain machines to strengthen foods safety and money opportunities for ladies fish people who smoke.
Those products, he continued, would enrich women’s application of ideal practices in fish handling, processing, and promoting and extra it would translate into improved excellent and protection of the distinct fishery items created by operators and help to prevent squander and write-up-harvest fish losses.
Fatou P. Choye, president of Countrywide Affiliation for Artisanal Fishing Operators counseled FAO and the Gambia govt for the gesture.
