Charles Tjatindi
6 December 2007
Swakopmund — The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources yesterday launched a Value Addition Report on the seafood industry.
The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Kilus Nguvauva, officially launched the Value Addition Report in Swakopmund. The report is the result of a study carried out last year to ascertain possible means of increasing the value of Namibian seafood products.
He pleaded for the education of the public to acquaint them with information contained in the report so as to implement it wherever possible.
"I ask for cooperation in implementing these measures, both in Government and in the private sector. It is important that we all work together for the benefit of both the industry and the country," he said.
The report applauded the Government's contribution to the fishing industry. It found that the Government encouraged companies to add value by reducing quota levies proportional to value added production and by rewarding performance with additional quotas.
According to the report, the global fisheries industry is growing in many ways it is dynamic. Production from capture fisheries has stagnated and practically all growth in production today comes from aquaculture operations.
Increasing global demand for seafood, as well as consumer trends towards higher demand for value-added products, have put focus on the operations of the industry and the products it produces, the report says.
Most of the profits in the fishing industry, in terms of ultimate price achieved in the market, come from value addition. The stability that comes from introducing value addition as an industry structural base is significant.
Value added product (VAP) staff are highly skilled and will improve competence in the sector. There are also significant spin-offs to support sectors for the fishing industry, such as market research, introduction of more sophisticated equipment, servicing, packaging, art layout, advertising and promotion, said the report.
According to the report, in 2003 there were 13500 jobs in the Namibian fishing industry. By 2004 this figure had fallen to 12720, according to Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare figures.
Much of this downturn was due to the volatility in price of primarily unprocessed commodity seafood products exported by Namibian companies.
This reliance on commodity products exposes the industry to worldwide supply and demand trends with prices having the potential to change quickly beyond the control of the Namibian suppliers. A heavy dependence on commodity products destabilises the industry.
Chris Pedersen, Managing Director of Merlus Seafood Processors, a state-of-the art value added processing factory in Walvis Bay, believes value-added products could yield an additional 3000-7000 jobs in the Namibian fishe-ries sector.
The Value Addition Report was launched as part of a two-day workshop aimed at looking at challenges and opportunities within the Namibian seafood industry.
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