‘Fish must be affordable’

THE Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Abraham Iyambo, has called on the fishing industry to work together with Government, through the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT), to make fish more affordable and readily available to all Namibians, especially the poor.

At a meeting at Swakopmund on Friday, Iyambo said the industry and consumers agreed that fish was not always available on the local market, and that prices were too high for the poor. This was blamed on “middlemen” making profits from the sale of fish.Suggestions were made that Government should enact laws to ensure that more Namibian fish is consumed locally instead of being exported.Industry representatives said they were willing to work with Government to ensure fish supply to Namibians, but the NFCTP should not take over the role of middleman or wholesaler to prevent profit taking and keep prices low.It was felt that the NFCPT should remain neutral in the matter and work according to a regulated benchmark price.The industry told the Minister that it had no problem selling fish cheaply to the NFCPT, but would not be willing to do the same for wholesalers making a profit, since this would defeat the purpose of making fish available to the poor.”There will be those who buy from the trust and make a profit, but the trust’s prices should be regulated because fisheries subsidise them with fair prices,” a member of the industry told the Minister.”The trust will be empowered by affordable prices and this is how it should be promoted.”The industry said that it would not be necessary to regulate export procedures and prices, since this was any tradesman’s prerogative in a free market.Iyambo agreed that such a step would be unnecessary, since the industry was already willing to do what it could to help the trust achieve its objective of making affordable fish available in rural areas.This was blamed on “middlemen” making profits from the sale of fish.Suggestions were made that Government should enact laws to ensure that more Namibian fish is consumed locally instead of being exported.Industry representatives said they were willing to work with Government to ensure fish supply to Namibians, but the NFCTP should not take over the role of middleman or wholesaler to prevent profit taking and keep prices low.It was felt that the NFCPT should remain neutral in the matter and work according to a regulated benchmark price.The industry told the Minister that it had no problem selling fish cheaply to the NFCPT, but would not be willing to do the same for wholesalers making a profit, since this would defeat the purpose of making fish available to the poor.”There will be those who buy from the trust and make a profit, but the trust’s prices should be regulated because fisheries subsidise them with fair prices,” a member of the industry told the Minister.”The trust will be empowered by affordable prices and this is how it should be promoted.”The industry said that it would not be necessary to regulate export procedures and prices, since this was any tradesman’s prerogative in a free market.Iyambo agreed that such a step would be unnecessary, since the industry was already willing to do what it could to help the trust achieve its objective of making affordable fish available in rural areas.