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Central and southern regions lack skills to prepare fish


RESIDENTS of the Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions, and some parts of the Hardap and //­Kharas regions lack the skills to prepare fish.

This is according to the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT), Victor Pea, which, he says, has resulted in the low uptake of fish in these regions.

“When we go there and prepare fish, they eat it, but the challenge is how to prepare it themselves. That is what we have to focus on – to teach them so they are able to buy the fish and prepare it themselves,” he says.

In other regions fish are in high demand which has resulted in no supply during some weeks in September, Pea says.

This is because there is an increase in shebeens being converted into fish shops, he says.

“When there is no quota, we reduce the amount of fish a person can buy in one go. When we have a sufficient amount, we allow people to buy as much as they can,” Pea says.

Although the NFCPT has been working hard to introduce cultured and freshwater fish in their shops, Pea says the challenge is to acquire a consistent local supplier.

“We managed to get another person who is supplying us with bream. This month, it is in our shops, and we are really excited about that addition,” he says.

NFCPT shops also stock cultured tilapia from Zambia.

The trust has received 13 000 tonnes of horse mackerel quota and has managed to harvest 10 000 tonnes.

This is despite other fishing companies struggling to catch their quota.

Pea attributes this to the experience of Namsov, which is the trust’s harvester.

He says the current global economic conditions, coupled with the war in Ukraine, has also resulted in an increase in the trust’s cost of doing business and has affected their operations negatively.

“We are looking forward to 2023, and hopefully the market with stabilise, so we can work in a normal environment, because the cost of doing business is quite a concern,” he says.

Pea was speaking during the company’s recent long service awards ceremony at Walvis Bay.





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