The Chamber for Aquaculture is calling on government to waive taxes on importation of raw materials used in producing feed for fishes.

According to its CEO, Jacob Adzikah, these high import taxes have push cost of production high.

“We have high cost of production which is directly linked with producing fish feed in the country. Feed producers pay import tax on raw materials shipped into the country. We should be looking at providing tax waiver on some of the raw materials. This will reduce the cost of production which will trickle down to the farmer and encourage a lot of people to get into aquaculture production,” he said.

Mr. Adzikah also urged government to prioritize the health of fishes by instituting policies to safeguard the seas to boost yield.

“We need to look at the fish health issues that have taken a major toll on the sector. Two years ago, there was massive fish deaths as a result of the ISKV virus that affected almost every farm. That in a way led to the collapse of many farms especially smallholder farms”.

“Hence, if we focus on fish health management and invest, we’re going to diagnose diseases in time which means we would not have any massive kill. That means, farmers at the end of the cycle would have their fish to sell, get more money, scale up production, create more jobs and contribute to national food security,” he added.

The aquaculture sector in Ghana plays a significant role in the national economy.

It contributes about 3% to 5% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides employment opportunities to the populace.

Ghana's current fish production from aquaculture is about 52,470 metric tonnes a year.

To catch the full interview as well as get to have a feel of how fish farming is done on the Volta Lake and know how fish feed is prepared, Watch Joy News on Saturday at 6pm.