Walvis Bay
This year’s annual National Fish Consumption Day will take place on September 12 at the Olufuko Cultural Centre in Outapi, which the National Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) says would virtually bring the ocean to the north.
“We are moving in the right direction as NFCPT distributed 7 300 tons in 2014 compared to a mere 500 tons in 2001. However it is my desire to witness NFCPT playing a leading role in the enhancement of food security, poverty alleviation and the improvement of livelihoods, especially within rural communities,” said the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernard Esau, when the nation’s fish consumption day was launched last week in Walvis Bay.
The fish consumption day was designed as a vehicle that will positively promote the consumption of fish, while also teaching Namibians the different ways they can prepare fish. NFCPT is tasked with making fish accessible and affordable to all Namibians.
Esau said NFCPT remains a key driver in ensuring that the country, despite the flourishing fish resources, move from being one of the lowest fish consumption countries in Africa “to become a success story in overturning the status quo”.
Esau said that government is committed to ensure that fishing remains one of the pillars of the economy.
“It is against this background that we are currently extensively consulting to review the Marine Resources Act of 2000 and the marine resources policy of 2004,” Esau said.
He added that this would allow Namibia to align itself with international best practices, while strengthening the legislative framework, taking in consideration the tireless efforts of all fishing sector stakeholders, inclusive of the trust.
Also speaking at the launch the chairperson of the trust, Katrina Shikeni, said that the trust in staying true to its mission of promoting the consumption of fish, while at the same time enhancing accessibility, has over the past years ensured that it bears witness to a larger footprint of outlets and guarantee that fish becomes part of everyday meals among Namibian households.
She said that NFCPT is awarded an annual horse mackerel and hake quota by the fisheries ministry, which is caught through local entities. The fish is then sold to the local market at below market related prices due to subsidization, to allow the lowest segments of the country to afford fish.
Stakeholders in the fishing industry also pledged its support to the fish consumption day, while the well known local businessman John Savva and his family pledged N$50 000 towards the day.