Fishing industry on the brink of collapse, govt told

Mwanza. The fishing industry is banking on the government to pull it back from the brink of collapse. It is asking the authorities to reduce the fuel levy on the grounds that fishermen do not carry out their business on land.

“It is surprising to see that fishermen are charged up to Sh122 per litre as fuel levy while, in the actual sense, fishing is done in water,” said Bahari Bounty chief executive Harko Bhagat. “We do not touch the ground.”

As far as he is concerned, fuel levy should be charged on vessels that use roads. “To our surprise, aicraft that use the land one way or another do not attract the fuel levy.”

The fishing community also expects the government to remove or reduce the royalty it charges fish processing industries so as to make the business more competitive. High royalty means the traders cannot compete effectively with their counterparts in other countries.

“In Uganda, for example, there is no royalty,” said Alfred Xavier, the Tanperch Managing Director.

According to Mr Xavier, Tanzania charges up to $12 cents per kilogramme of fish in royalty. A former fish trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that regardless of the many taxes, the fishing industry is lagging in terms of infrastructure development.

“If you have some time, just visit any fish market and you will see how dirty it is,” said the fisherman. “No regular cleaning is carried out despite all the levies we pay.”

Mr Bhagat urges the government to initiate a Fish Trust Fund with the aim of improving infrastructure in the industry.

“If formed, this trust must have representation from the government and from the fisher folk to make sure that part of the revenue from the industry is channelled into improving the infrastructure necessary for improving fishing,” he added.

Fishing stakeholders are reportedly ready to contribute the cash necessary for improving the industry infrastructure.

Tanzania Fishers Union Programme Officer Frank Masoud urged the government to consider public education on the importance of fishing to the country’s economy.

“In this budget, the government must set aside funds to educate people on fishing, in particular that if they continue to fish immature Nile Perch there is a possibility that in the coming years they won’t have any business because there will be no fish in Lake Victoria,” said Mr Masoud.

He also wants the government to fix corruption loopholes in the industry and tackle illegal fishing.