The federation has lamented over government’s reluctance to invest in the production of coffee beans
Revenue in exports from coffee for the year 2018 was US$34,000.
This is according to the President of the Coffee Federation of Ghana (CFG), Chief Nat Ebo Nsarko.
The US$34,000 export revenue recorded for 2018 stands in sharp contrast to export revenue of US$1.4 billion in 2016.
“Coffee export revenue for 2015 was US$3,000, in 2016 it went as high as US$1.4 billion and fell to US$55,000 in 2017 and then to US$34,000 in 2018,” stated Mr. Nsarko in an interview.
“So you can see that we have been struggling, whereas other African countries are doing very well and contributing hugely to their GDP, Ghana does only about 0.2 percent of GDP,” he added.
The federation has lamented over the government’s reluctance to invest in the production of the crop as well as its entire value chain although it requires minimum capital to do so.
Meanwhile, the President in April 2019, launched the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), an initiative meant to further boost the revival of the country’s economic growth through the agricultural sector, especially, the production of cash crops like coffee for exports.
The federation lauding the initiative noted that PERD is a good springboard to mainstream Ghana’s cash crop trading, including coffee – a crop that has taken the center stage as the hottest commodity on the world market in recent times.
PERD is designed to focus on the development of selected export tree crops namely cashew, coffee, oil palm, coconut, mango, and rubber, and also present to Ghana opportunities for export diversification and new sources of revenue.
Farmers who cultivate crops and forest tree production on two acres and below still dominate the agriculture sector, the Ghana Census of Agriculture (GCA) 2017/2018, has revealed.
The study said in the year 1970 the percentage of these proportion of farmers stood at 35 percent but however increased to 56 percent in the 2017/2018 census.
Professor Samuel K. Annim, Government Statistician, who disclosed this during the opening of a dissemination workshop of GCA, said more than half of people actives in the sector are old.
The study, according to him showed that agricultural activities in the country still remained rural and rudimentary with little innovation and modernisation.
“Most agricultural holders use traditional tools and equipment for production whereas the use of modern tools and equipment such as tractors, shellers, power tillers, hatchery/incubator, meat processing equipment, and milking equipment is negligible,” he said.
“While fertilizer is not used by most holders, the use of pesticides is highly prevalent among holders. Crop cultivation is predominantly dependent on rain and mortality in livestock is high,” he said.
He noted that the study showed the educational level of people engaged in the agriculture sector is either up to basic education or no education with only 13 percent of holders attaining secondary or higher levels of education.
“With these low education among farmers, it will not fuel the growth of the sector because there is the need to adopt and apply modern technology. We are still engaged in rain-fed but need to move to go beyond that,” he added.
The study, he said revealed that many people owned farmlands in the year 1970 than in 2018.
Prof Annim said there was a need for the financial sector to develop special long-term loan schemes to meet the needs of different categories of farmers and agriculture activities.
“Currently most financial institution does not take into consideration the gestation period of different activities. Going forward our financial institutions need to design packages for cassava, cocoa, rice, maize…” he said.
Such a credit package, he explained would attract the youth to engage in agriculture and grow the sector to reflect the phrase of “making the sector the backbone of the economy”.
Prof. Annim noted that the managers of the country’s education needed to develop programmes in agriculture that would be practically based and linked to employment after completion.
He said the study served as a baseline to access policies including Planting for Food and Jobs, Building of Wear Housing, how it integrates with the one-district-one-factory and in the next National Census of Agriculture in the year 2024.
Mr. Kingsley Agyei Boahene, the Central Regional Coordinating Director, said the findings of the GCA were critical for policymakers to better identify, prepare, implement and evaluate development projects aimed at enhancing agriculture in Ghana.
He said the sector now had up-to-date and reliable agriculture statistics for programming and monitoring food security and livelihood programmes, among others.
Mr. Boahen said the provision of data on the structure of agriculture in the country, was vital to the rebasing of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Chocolate is a product from cocoa that has numerous medicinal benefits to pregnant women. It gives pregnant women a very pleasant sensation when they eat it. That sweet taste, the melt in the mouth, and the softness provided by chocolate, who can describe this? It gives them an incredible sensation!
These are the health benefits of chocolate to pregnant women.
Preventing preeclampsia. We all must have the same wish, that we want our babies to be born healthy without premature. But there is a pregnancy disorder that is very dangerous for us and our fetus. The disorder is called Preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder that can make pregnant women suffering high blood pressure, also can cause premature birth, liver and kidney disorders, and endanger the lives of women who are pregnant. To avoid it, we recommend you start eating chocolate.
Because of chocolate, there is theobromine content that can make pregnant women are not stressed and relaxed so that the fetus also can feel calm. Theobromine content is responsible for preventing all the risks caused by preeclampsia.
Furthermore, research conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Triche of Yale University, shows that if a pregnant woman consumes chocolate regularly, this will make the baby born with a high concentration of theobromine in the umbilical cord blood.
Increasing metabolism system. Why can chocolate improve the metabolism system? Because chocolate contains a very important substance that is magnesium and iron. Magnesium and ironwork together to help the process of metabolizing fats, producing red blood cells, and protecting pregnant women from anemia. They also create the formation of hemoglobin and helping the fatty acid metabolic process.
Normalize the blood pressure. Because a pregnant woman can suffer high blood pressure, they need an intake that can help to normalize the blood pressure. This is very important for women who are pregnant. There are plenty of other intakes to normalize blood pressure, but you can count on chocolate as well to overcome this problem.
Chocolate can help normalize blood pressure and reduce the risk of defects in the fetus. What is the reason? Again it is because of the effect of theobromine content. The content of theobromine can also dilate/widen the blood vessels so it can make blood pressure back to normal.
It serves as a source of antioxidants. According to Mayo Clinic, antioxidants can overcome the free radicals that can enter our body through cigarette smoke or pesticides. The benefits of antioxidants in chocolate is to prevent the growth of cancer cells in pregnant women so that pregnant woman and fetal are free from cancer risk and avoid heart disease. In addition, antioxidants work to form the immune system and keep pregnant women healthy.
Can affect the happiness of the baby. The fetus has a very strong bond with his mother. That is why, if his mother is feeling stressed or depressed, then this will also affect the fetus. Based on research conducted by the pregnant women’s health magazine in Finland, showed that by consuming chocolate, the mother will feel calm and can make her happy and ultimately affect the fetus who can feel the happiness as well.
Increase baby’s response. Another content contained in chocolate is phenylethylamine content. Phenylethylamine content is the content that is absorbed by the fetus when the mother is eating chocolate. This content works to give a good effect on the baby’s response when he’s born and during the growth period. He can give respond to his parents and his environment calmly and relax.
Moreover, there are other contents that have an important role in the development of the baby’s brain. This content is a monounsaturated fat content called oleic acid which is also provided in chocolate.
Lose weight. It is true if we eat chocolate that contains a lot of sugar and fat, this can make us becoming fat. But, there are chocolates that do not contain much fat and sugar. For example, as you can see in the list of nutrients above, the list shows that dark chocolate has a total of 31 g fat and 48 g of sugar.
The content of fat and sugar in dark chocolate is less than the other chocolate, such as the Health Benefits of White Chocolate that has 32 g of fat content and 59 g of sugar content. Therefore, consuming dark chocolate in the right way will help you lose weight and smooth the digestion of pregnant women.
Create a happy mood for a pregnant woman. For women who are pregnant, do you often feel the change of moods? Do you feel the hormonal changes in your attitude? Do you often feel very happy sometimes, sometimes angry, sometimes sad? It is very natural to be experienced by a woman who is pregnant because it is a hormonal influence or because you just tired that time. Try eating chocolate and feel the change in your mood.
Research shows that chocolate has a function to stimulate the production of endorphins in the brain, spine, and other body parts. Endorphin can make you feel good. In addition, there is another compound in chocolate that acts as an antidepressant is serotonin.
Preventing anemia. Anemia is dangerous for us and especially for pregnant women. Chocolate is one of the Anemia Treatments. Chocolate is one of the foods that have an effect of blood-boosting that can prevent pregnant moms from suffering the Symptoms of Anemia or anemia itself.
Phenylethylamine. Chocolate has a phenylethylamine substance that works to relieve stress.
Frequently of eating chocolate can help pregnant women in terms of making their skin becomes smoother and can protect the skin from ultraviolet rays
The African Development Bank on Wednesday signed protocols to disburse a $14 million grant to the Government of South Sudan to boost agricultural markets in a project to be implemented by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The Agricultural Markets, Value Addition, and Trade Development (AMVAT) project aims to enhance agricultural productivity and boost the marketing and trade of agricultural products in South Sudan. The project will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in close liaison with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
The five-year project will help increase the productivity and incomes of almost 20,000 farming families in Central and Eastern Equatoria and Jonglei states, most of whom are formerly internally displaced persons who have now returned to their homes.
The project will create aggregation business opportunities for farmers and traders, including women and youth, and provide them with new skills and the agro-processing equipment they need to produce competitive products. Twenty aggregation business centers will serve as ‘one-stop shops’ where farmers can access extension services and connect to markets for their value-added products. Farmer groups joining the aggregation centers will have their products not only tested and quality certified, but also traded with the private sector on their behalf.
“A diversified economy away from oil and long-term growth depends on promoting agribusiness development,” said Athian Ding Athian, South Sudan’s Minister of Finance and Planning at the signing ceremony, thanking the African Development Bank for its growing assistance. “With the support from our partners, we are building an improved marketing and trade environment for agribusinesses, increasing people’s incomes and creating new jobs, particularly for the youth.”
The Bank’s Country Manager for South Sudan, Benedict Kanu, noted that “a key factor explaining Africa’s and indeed South Sudan’s low level of agricultural value addition is the inefficient marketing infrastructure. This prevents farmers and processors from realizing the full value of their products, even in their raw form.”
South Sudan has considerable unrealized agricultural potential, but the effects of continued violence combined with unprecedented flooding have seriously damaged food production, resulting in a huge food import bill.
“Thanks to this generous contribution from the African Development Bank, farmers will move faster from subsistence to commercial agriculture by having access to new technologies, markets, and linkages with other services and actors,” said Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan.
Despite the country’s agricultural potential and 78 percent of the population employed in agriculture, the sector contributes only one-tenth of the GDP of South Sudan. Agricultural and food products struggle to find their way into international markets due partly to the lack of adequate food quality controls.
The Bank and FAO are partnering with government bodies to strengthen the safety and quality of local agricultural products. To this end, two mini testing laboratories will be established in Central and Eastern Equatoria to enable farmers to test and certify their value-added products, particularly cereals, oilseeds, and maize, before selling them on various markets.
Groundnut, also known as peanut or pignut is described as both fruit and vegetable. It is one of the best sources of protein. Consuming groundnut is very beneficial for our health.
Peanut contains vitamin E, magnesium, foliate, copper, and arginine. Studies reveal that peanuts can even be useful for weight loss and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, the skins have an ample amount of natural antioxidants & a high content of dietary fiber. This is with reference to the different types, be it light-roasted or dark-roasted.
The medicinal benefits of groundnut are: Promotes Fertility Groundnut also contains a good amount of folate. Several studies have shown that women who had a daily consumption of 400 micrograms of folic acid before & during early pregnancy reduced the risk of having a baby born with a serious neural tube defect by up to 70 percent.
Promote Heart Health According to researchers, people who regularly eat groundnuts were far less likely to die of heart stroke, or disease. Peanuts and other nuts can also lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) levels. Bad cholesterol can lead to plaque development on the blood vessels & peanuts can prevent this.
Groundnut can also reduce the inflammation that can cause heart disease. The resveratrol in groundnuts also helps fight heart problems.
Boosts Memory Peanuts contain vitamin B3 or niacin content whose many health benefits include normal brain functioning as well as boosting memory power.
Helps in Weight Loss Peanuts or groundnuts are called energy-dense foods. If you include them as a snack then it will make you eat fewer calories later in the day. Compared to consuming them with a meal, groundnuts elicited stronger feelings of fullness when eaten as a snack. This will ultimately help with weight loss.
Including groundnut or other nuts in your diet is a great way to enhance palatability & nutrient intake without causing weight gain.
Prevents Gallstones Consumption of peanuts is also linked to a lowered risk of gallstones. Men having 5 or more units of nuts that include groundnuts in a week had a low risk of gallstone disease. Likewise, women who consume 5 or more units of nuts in a week had a reduced risk of cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder).
Helps Fight Depression Groundnuts are good sources of tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that is important for the production of serotonin, one of the important brain chemicals involved in mood regulation. When depression takes place, a decreased amount of serotonin may be released from the nerve cells in the brain. Tryptophan can increase serotonin’s antidepressant effects when there is an increased amount of serotonin in the blood.
Boosts Hair Growth Few researchers believe that as peanuts contain all the amino acids & protein, they could be a good supplementation to a diet for hair growth.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is to appear before Parliament over non-payment to cocoa farmers through their respective Licensed Buying Companies (LBC) for the period of the 2020/21 crop season.
The First Deputy Speaker Parliament. Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu gave this directive in a reaction after a complaint was made by Hon. Kofi Adams, MP for Buem, and the contribution statements made by the Members on the plight of cocoa farmers in cocoa-growing areas for not receiving payments.
The Speaker further directed the Leadership of the House to the programme officials of the board to meet The Committee of The Whole of Parliament to discuss the issues.
Hon. Adams statement was titled: “The Plight of Cocoa Farmers in the Buem Constituency Despite $1.3 billion loan facility to the Ghana Cocoa Board.”
According to Hon Adams, reports from his constituency and other constituencies in the cocoa-growing regions have it that, cocoa farmers have not been paid by LBCs for their cocoa purchased in the last two months even though they are in the third month of the main cocoa season.
“The Ghana Cocoa Board secured a $ 1.3 billion-dollar facility to purchase cocoa beans for 2020/21 crop season. This facility was to assist Cocoa board make an upfront payment for cocoa beans that it purchases from cocoa farmers”, Hon Adams said.
“Most of the cocoa farmers in Ghana depend mainly on the proceeds of the cocoa sale to fend for themselves and their families and most importantly to prepare new farmlands for the next farming season,” Hon. added
“The proceeds of these sales are been used by them to pay their bills ranging from school fees through domestic utilities to medical bills”, Hon. said
The Buem MP urged the House to intervene to get the Ghana Cocoa Board to release funds to LBCs to enable them to pay the farmers for the cocoa beans purchased, during the period under review.
“It was Parliament which approved the syndicated facility for the purpose of purchasing cocoa for the (2020/21) crop,” Hon. Adam argued.
Hon Adams later at a news conference, supported by Hon, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, MP for Juaboso, threw more light on the matter, arguing that the non-payment to the cocoa farmer worsened their economic plight during the period.
The Deputy Majority Leader and MP for Efutu, Hon. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, at a news conference, refuted the claims made by the Buem MP.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin dared Hon. Adams to name the LBCs that had not paid the cocoa farmers, as he (Hon. Afenyo-Markin) said the COCOBOD had settled all LBCs that raised certificates for payment.
Palm wine might be known as a tropical local alcoholic drink that has a sweet taste when freshly tapped and is enjoyed by as many that loved it either when sweet or sour, thus refreshing them all the time but it is really more than that.
In as much as it does all of the above, most people still fail to understand that palm wine contains rich nutrients that provide the body with lots of amazing benefits.
Nutritional Values of Palm Wine. It may not be surprising to say that palm wine contains sugar, bacteria and yeast (which causes fermentation), but it is surprising when nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, vitamin C, Amino acids, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, vitamin B’s are mentioned but it surely contains them all and even more yet to be proven.
Here are surprising health benefits of Palm wine you may not know Improves Eye Vision This is one of the primary functions of palm-wine which many people are aware of but may not really know what nutrients actually do the work. The presence of the vitamins in palm wine such as vitamin C and B’s have a vital role which they play in improving eye vision.
While vitamin C helps in building the connective tissues of the body and the blood vessels of the eye preventing related eye problems like cataracts, macular degeneration, etc., Vitamin B1 and B12 help in solving vascular-related issues that concern the retina which could result in chronic inflammation and more.
Generally, vitamins help in keeping the eye healthy and reduces the chances of getting eye problems as much as possible.
Potassium also helps in keeping the eye healthy and moist as its deficiency can cause eye twitches or eye muscle spams as a result of eye dryness caused by the lack of potassium.
This benefits can’t be gotten from any other alcoholic beverage even those that promise it does, and this could be the sole reason people who live in the villages, especially our grandparents, tend to have better eyesight due to their intake of palm-wine which seems to be their top alcoholic drink.
Improves Heart Health. Its potassium content makes it a good source of drink to help combat various related cardiovascular diseases. Potassium is good for the body and helps it function better, and the expected level in the body is between 3.5 and 5 mmol/L.
It helps the nerves and muscles to function well and as such helps in normalizing the rate at which the heart beats and well helps in reducing or lowering the blood pressure.
Palm wine should be taken in moderation to provide the heart and the entire body with the potassium it needs as either too much (hyperkalemia) or low (hypokalemia) content of potassium in the body can cause irregular heartbeats which can lead to serious and deadly health problems.
Fights Cancer. Food rich in antioxidant properties is known to help in reducing cancer risk, as they help prevent oxidation processes in the body which could cause some chemical reactions in the body thereby leading to damages of vital organs and cells, ulcer, inflammation, etc.
Palm wine contains antioxidants that help prevent free radicals from damaging the cells in the body and fight cancer. An example of such antioxidants in palm wine is vitamin B2 (Riboflavin).
Build the Body’s Structure Protein is an essential nutrient which the body cannot do without, and palm wine contains lots of amino acids whose main function is to act as the building block of the macro-nutrient – Protein.
Thus, it helps in building and improving the body cells and as well help to store nutrients in the body which is vital for the functions of the body’s organ. It also plays a major role in the repairing of the body’s tissues, structures of the bones and muscles.
Improves Hair and Skin. Palm wine does more than is expected of it, it contains nutrients that help in nourishing the skin, the hair and even the nails (fingers and toes alike), such as the vitamins, zinc, magnesium, and others which plays a very important role in the improvement.
It also helps in the promotion of new body cells by removing the dead cells in the body and replacing it, thereby giving the skin a soft, smooth and better appearance.
Used to Treat Skin Rashes. In most places, palm wine can be used externally in the treatment of skin conditions such as rashes, eczema, etc., especially in small children. It is done by rubbing the affected areas with un-adultered palm wine, its content of vitamins will help soothe the skin and relieve such skin issues.
Increases Breast Milk. This is one of the functions of palm wine in the body that most people especially those in the villages are aware of. Though it is widely believed that taking of palm wine help increase breast milk in lactating mothers but scientifically, it hasn’t be proven.
But still, that doesn’t make the saying all wrong as most of the diseases and cure for the treatment of various health conditions are from naturally occurring plants and vegetations which our forefathers have practically been using.
Palm wine has long served as the main beverage for lactating mothers in many African countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, etc., where it is mostly cultivated and can be easily gotten, and have been locally proven to help mothers whose breast milk are low by increasing the flow for adequate breastfeeding.
Side Effects. In as much as palm wine is vital for our health, and is being recommended by many because of its nutritional benefits, yet it should not be taken in excess especially when it has undergone fermentation.
As it can result in hypertension, neurological problems and can as well lead to failure of the body’s vital organs such as the liver and kidney, the alcohol content in fermented palm wine is 2 or 3 times more than that in other alcoholic drinks which gives the liver work overload while trying to detoxify the system.
Many local gins can be produced from palm wine too depending on the duration of the fermentation process which still has adverse reactions to the body when taken in excess.
The German chocolate manufacturer Ritter Sport is embroiled in a row with food law regulators after being told it cannot call its latest creation a chocolate bar because it contains no sugar.
The company, which has been producing chocolate at its factory near Stuttgart for more than 100 years, and has attracted something of a cult following over its frequent new ranges, has been told the new bar contravenes Germany’s strict cocoa regulations.
The so-called Kakao-Verordnung deems that anything labeled as chocolate must contain cocoa mass, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar.
But Ritter’s new bar, called Cacao y Nada (cocoa and nothing) is 100% cocoa, sourced from its own plantation in Nicaragua. It is sweetened with cocoa juice, which is naturally found in the pulp of the cocoa bean and increasingly recognised as a product in its own right because of a naturally sweet taste said to resemble that of lychees. It was first approved as a foodstuff by the EU almost a year ago.
The use of cocoa juice instead of sugar has led German food regulators to say that Cacao y Nada does not fit its definition of chocolate.
Confectioners who break the “cocoa rule” risk being fined and banned from selling their products.
Ritter Sport has been family-run since it was founded in 1912 and is famed for its 100g four-by-four square bars – the idea of its co-founder Clara Ritter, who wanted something that would comfortably fit into a sports jacket pocket.
It has accused German food regulators of being out of step with modern trends, not least the move away from sugar towards healthier alternatives.
“It is absurd that a chocolate, which is totally made out of cocoa and does not need any added sugar, cannot be called chocolate,” Andreas Ronken, Ritter Sport’s CEO, told German media. He pointed to the example of alternatives to meat in which vegetarian sausages and burgers are made out of other foodstuffs. “If sausages can be made out of peas, chocolate should not have to have sugar in it,” he said.
The company has provisionally agreed to bring out the new bar under the label Kakaofruchttafel or “cocoa-fruit bar”, but has said it will put pressure on the authorities to change its rules.
“Our food laws need to keep up with innovations like this,” Ronken said. “They must wake up – this is a new reality.”
Ritter Sport employs 1,650 workers and exports to more than 100 countries in the world but has suffered a significant dent in its turnover during the coronavirus pandemic mainly as a result of the loss of lucrative duty-free sales at airports.
Following the second call for proposals launched in June 2020 by Expertise France under ECOWAS in the framework of the GCCA+ West Africa project funded by the European Union, 11 new pilot projects for a total budget of €2.4 million have been selected in favour of more climate-resilient agriculture.
Dominated by family farming (the main source of income and subsistence for 70% of the population), West African agriculture is struggling to access resources to invest in sustainable production capacities and in the scaling up of proven technical solutions to address climate change.
Already facing structural challenges (progressive saturation of spaces, degradation of soil fertility, etc.), regional agriculture is confronted with the dual phenomenon of climate variability and climate change that affect agricultural performances, supply stability, increasing of occurrence of climate risks, and consequently income as well as food and nutritional security.
Supporting local innovative solutions with high potential for replication. The objective of the selected pilot projects is to finance the implementation and capitalization of local innovative solutions with high potential for replication and/or scaling up for the West African region focusing on adapting to the impacts of climate change (seed selection, climate services, agroecological practices, early warning systems) and mitigating of GHG emissions (carbon storage, dewatering by solar pumping, renewable energy in processing units, etc.).
The first call for proposals launched in 2019 resulted in the selection of four projects to be implemented over a 24-month period in Benin, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad.
The 11 new projects selected in December 2020 under the second call for proposals cover Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
Led by local associations, international NGOs, farmers’ organizations, and research institutes, these 11 projects will be implemented from the beginning of 2021 for a duration of 20 months.
By targeting important value chains for the region (rice, shea, palm oil, cassava) and by strengthening the productivity of family farmers (agroforestry, agroecology, access to climate information), these local projects will then be able to benefit all farmers in the region.
Global fisheries and aquaculture have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and could face further disruption in 2021 as lockdowns affect supply and demand across the sector, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The report, “The impact of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture food systems, was featured during the 34th session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI)” hosted by FAO.
Fish supply, consumption, and trade revenues for 2020 are all expected to have declined due to containment restrictions, the report noted, while global aquaculture production is expected to fall by some 1.3 percent, the first fall recorded by the sector in several years.
“The pandemic has caused widespread upheaval in fisheries and aquaculture as production has been disrupted, supply chains have been interrupted and consumer spending restricted by various lockdowns,” said FAO Deputy Director-General, Maria Helena Semedo.
“Containment measures have provoked far-reaching changes, many of which are likely to persist in the long term.”
While the food itself is not responsible for the transmission of COVID-19 to people, the report stressed every stage of the fisheries and aquaculture supply chain is susceptible to being disrupted or stopped by containment restrictions.
Aggregate prices for 2020, as measured by the Fish Price Index are down year-on-year for most traded species. Restaurant and hotel closures in many countries have also led to a fall in demand for fresh fish products.
“The impact has been significant in developing countries, especially those with large informal sectors, where small-scale and artisanal workers and communities depend on fisheries for their food security, livelihoods. They have borne the brunt of restrictions,” Semedo said.
The FAO report indicated that in aquaculture there is growing evidence that unsold production will result in increasing levels of live fish stocks, creating higher costs for feeding as well as a greater number of fish mortalities. Sectors with longer production cycles, such as salmon, cannot adjust rapidly to the demand shifts.
Global catches from wild fisheries are also expected to have declined slightly in 2020, as, overall, there has been a reduced fishing effort due to COVID‑19-related restrictions on fishing vessel crews and poor market conditions.
As a result of Covid-19, consumer preferences have shifted. While demand for fresh fish has waned, consumer demand for packaged and frozen products has grown as households look to stock up on non-perishable food.
Before the pandemic, the sector was on a general upwards trend. In 2018, global fisheries and aquaculture production (excluding aquatic plants) reached an all‑time record of nearly 179 million tonnes. Overall capture fisheries, with 96.4 million tonnes represented 54 percent of the total, while aquaculture, with 82.1 million tonnes, accounted for 46 percent. And over the last decades, fish consumption has grown significantly to an average of over 20 kilos per person.
FAO has called for disruptive border restriction measures on trade in food to be minimized for food security. The report called for sectoral and regional organizations to work together in order to manage fisheries and aquaculture during the pandemic, with measures that support job protection and ensure fast recovery of the sector without compromising sustainability.
The impact of COVID-19 on women, already vulnerable as food producers, processors, vendors, and carers, should also be considered with government support provided for women along the fish value chain.
Uncertainty continues to dominate the outlook for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, particularly with regard to the duration and severity of the pandemic.
This year COFI 34 is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, a landmark instrument endorsed by FAO member states that has been guiding efforts towards sustainable fisheries and aquaculture around the world.
With the uncertainty in the sector posed by the pandemic and other issues, the code’s principles have never been more vital to ensure the fisheries sector remains viable and sustainable.
