Another major difficulty that shipowners say they are encountering has to do with the purchase of fuel, which is made directly from the pumps and transported to the vessels.
Shipowner António de Matos said that the lack of support centers for artisanal fishing endangers the quality of the fish, reinforcing that the fishing sector needs places for landing and handling fish. Speaking to the newspaper OPAÍS on the occasion of the visit of the Minister of State for Economic Coordination, José de Lima Massano, visiting fishing companies, which took place this Saturday, 9th, António de Matos said that the lack of support centers has caused that some shipowners bring fish from distant points and preserve them in formaldehyde.
is a stable and flammable gas preservative widely used to maintain the properties of dead animals, which the interlocutor considers to be an inappropriate product for preserving fish. To change this situation of fish conservation with inappropriate products, the member of the Association of Artisanal, Semi-Industrial and Industrial Fishing of Luanda (APASIL) defends the existence of appropriate places for the sale of fish, such as the São Paulo market, in Luanda.
“We have to be very careful with the surveillance system, unloading, and infrastructure in artisanal fishing,” he warned. The businessman also recalled that there is a fishing support center on the Island of Luanda that does not work, which is why he reminded the Executive of the need to activate the space and create others to allow the consumption of fresh, quality products in the country.
Another major difficulty for shipowners has to do with purchasing fuel, which is made directly from the pumps and transported to the vessels. He highlighted that this forces each vessel manager to take the product in drums to the vessels, which has caused problems with the Police, who often associate the act with fuel smuggling. The solution, according to the interlocutor, would involve placing fuel pumps next to quay bridges to facilitate the shipowners’ task.
Organize fishing industry
It should be noted that the Minister of State for Economic Coordination, José de Lima Massano, during a visit to fishing companies, recognized the existence of enormous potential in the Angolan business fabric to diversify the national economy, without necessarily creating new business segments, giving robustness to companies already operating in Angola. During the visit to fishing companies, it was found that the country continues to favor imports, to the detriment of national products available on the domestic market.
According to José de Lima Massano, it is necessary to reverse this scenario to enhance the production capacity of existing companies. To this end, he recalled that the Government has already taken some measures to essentially consume products made in Angola, a exercise that will continue, with financial support, market access by companies, among other economic instruments, aiming to have a greater supply of goods and services, increase jobs and ensure the sustainability of the national economy.
He considered the fishing sector vital, as it produces one of the most consumed foods in the country, a fact that requires a more organized industry. To achieve this, he said, it is necessary to create internal capabilities to produce the means and equipment for processing fish locally.