-Call for More Such Days
By Mark N. Mengonfia
The compound of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority came alive on Thursday, as fish sellers and fish farmers displayed a variety of fish.
They have gone to sell their products on a special day set aside by NaFAA called Fish Market Day.
The Local Daily spoke with Siah T. Fallah, one of those involved in fish farming, who said, “The market is good.”Siah, her team and others were seen selling live catfish, tilapia, while others sold different varieties of fresh and dried sea fish.
Siah said they took approximately one thousand USD(1,000) and she had to send more fish because what they carried was almost finished before the official market could start.
At first, Siah and her team had difficulties getting the feed for the farm, but she said that after a while, they learned and are now helping other farmers in Margibi County with how to handle their farms.
She encouraged Liberians to venture into fish farming as it is one of the means to feed a nation.Fish were sold for 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 USD depending on the size.
“The fish I brought was plenty, but see my table”, another marketer said as she called on NaFAA to have more of such days for them to sell their market.
In an interview, the Acting Director General of NaFAA, Cyrus Saygbe, said the Fish Market Day was an inaugural one as it was the first of its kind for the institution to introduce such an initiative.
DG Saygbe said the market day is intended for Liberians to showcase their businesses and earn for themselves.
“We want to start it small, small,” Saygbe said as he promised to extend it to other coastal counties of Liberia.
He disclosed that they at NaFAA have also trained women on how to preserve their fish when business is not good or when the fishermen return from their catches late.
The NaFAA boss indicated that they are planning on integrating landing sites where fish mongers will have the opportunity to preserve their fish.
The first two sites will be built in Maryland and Grand Kru Counties before they can be extended to the other coastal counties of Liberia.
“The essence of that is for them to be able to preserve their fish so that when they come from the sea late, you are not in a hurry to sell.”
The NaFAA boss also said they do not want to depend on taxes from fishermen.
According to him, they envision a day when artisanal fishermen will not pay fees anymore as they are looking for other sources of funding.
Global Crops & Animal Management (GCAM) and the African Women Fish Processors & Traders Network were part of institutions that went to sell.
