THE Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) has started certifying fish processors in the country, in a bid to improve the quality of smoked fish on the market.
The certification process is under a new programme dubbed “Class 1 Recognition Scheme” designed by MoFAD and its partners, to ensure that fish processors adhere to hygienic standards in their work.
Fish processors are to meet a checklist including the use of improved fish smoking oven such as the “Ahotor Oven” to be awarded a ‘class 1 certificate’ and given health fish labels to brand their fish.
They would also be required to undergo fish handling training while an audit of processing facility to check, amongst others, environmental hygiene, pest control and waste management will be made.
At the launch of the scheme in Accra yesterday, 13 out of 32 fish processors and processing firms, who signed up for certification , were presented with certificates and labels for obtaining the recognition status.
The Head of the Post Harvest Unit of the ministry, Mr Samuel Manu, giving an overview of the scheme, said it was the first of three proposed levels of the implementation of hygienic standards in the sector.
He said the ministry designed it in collaboration with the Food and Drugs Authority, Food Research Institute, Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), some Public Universities, Civil Society Organisations in the sector, and others with support from the USAID Sustainable Fisheries Management Project.
Mr Manu said the certificates were to be renewed annually by the processors after an audit at the cost of Gh₵100 which included the printing of the certificates and 500 copies of health fish labels.
He said the certificate could be withdrawn if there was cause to believe that the fish was exposed to risk of contamination or a misuse of the label, such as counterfeit, transfer or alteration.
The Deputy Sector Minister, Francis Ato Codjoe, said the scheme would improve market access as their fish could be sold at malls or exported, boost the income for fishers as well as ensure fish quality.
The use of Ahotor Oven, he said, would reduce the harmful emissions in the smoking process, provide a healthy working condition for processors and ensure food safety.
Mr Steven Hendrix, USAID Ghana Deputy Mission Director, commended the ministry and its partners for the scheme as it would help enhance good public health and improve livelihood of the processors.
Lauding the government for the closed season, he advised that future closed season should be observed during periods the fishes were most biologically active so that greater rewards could be achieved.
The President of the National Fish Processors and Traders Association (NAFTA), Mrs Regina Solomon, said the scheme was a game changer and urged all the estimated 33,000 fish processors in the country to embrace it.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR AND MALISA TETTEH
