The National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO) has justified it’s decision to import Mackerel from China to feed Senior High School students in Ghana.
The Corporate Affairs Manager of NAFCO, Emmanuel Arthur said since there is no mackerel processing and packaging company in Ghana, it’s outfit which is mandated by government to supply same to SHS students have to import from the China.
He said, NAFCO is responsible for the supply of Mackerel, Sugar and Sardines which are not produced in Ghana together with 15 other non-perishable locally produced food items such as Cocoa powder, vegetable oil.
Speaking on ‘Breakfast Today’ programme on Dreamz FM, Mr. Arthur said, “We don’t manufacture Mackerel in Ghana. If we were doing it here, there was no way we will go abroad and bring it including Sardines and sugar. We import Markerel because they are not done here in Ghana.
“We produce Cocoa Powder in Ghana and some other 15 items that we supply to SHS students, so we have not been importing them.
His comments come on the back of concerns raised by Executive Director for Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asante about Ghana’s inability to locally produce Mackerels for the consumption of SHS students.
Mr. Asante said, government should facilitate Local industrialization in canned fish and stop importing same from abroad so as to create jobs to government’s own credit instead of creating jobs for other countries.
He said, the amount spent on importing sardines and mackerel over the past four years for up to 1.2 mimport students could have built several factories by now, if not one.
In his view, if mackerel is not commercially available in Gh waters, we can process other fishes available in our seas for consumption.
However, Mr Arthur said until Ghana establishes Factory for local Mackerel Production, SHS students will be supplied with foreign ones.
