Ghana Protein Sends SOS

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Anthony Adu-Nketia (2nd Left), addressing the press confab. With him in the picture is Mr. Robert Piazo (Right), Mr. Fabrice Pizano (2nd Right) and Bernard Marroncles.

A fish meal production company at Tema, Ghana Protein Limited (GPL), is on the verge of collapse.

The five-million-dollar company, set up in 2000 to manufacture animal feed to supplement the efforts of poultry farmers in the country, will shut down if government fails to intervene.

Owners of GPL have attributed the imminent shut down to what they termed as unfair business transaction on the part of Pioneer Fish Cannery (PFC), which is reported to have set up a similar fishmeal processing plant within their premises.

The setting up of PFC’s 120-tonne fishmeal processing plant and a subsequent decision by the firm to stop supplying fish waste to the GPL by October 31, 2012, according to the latter’s owners, would put them out of business as there will be no raw material for production.

GPL, according to its owners, relies on fish waste and unwholesome fish meal from canneries in the country so as to process and convert fish waste into wholesome animal feed. It adds that the establishment of a new plant at PFC was calculated to get them to shut down.

Appealing to the government, management of GPL, a 360-tonne plant, urged the Atta Mills-led government to ensure a fair and level playing field for all members of the industry, adding that failure on the part of government to do that would discourage foreign investors who might want to invest in Ghana.

Addressing a press conference at its premises yesterday, Anthony Adu-Nketia, an Accountant and Administrator of GPL, noted that it was sad that agencies which had the mandate to regulate the industry had failed to ensure the creation of a level playing field for the industry.

He added that the same regulatory agencies had looked on for PFC to construct its plant which would finally deny GPL the chance to buy raw materials from PFC.

“In September 2011, we received information from a reliable source and further sighted a letter dated 21/07/2010 signed by the Minister of Agriculture, Kwesi Ahwoi which sought to invoke the Ministry’s regulatory powers to put the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s support behind PFC to construct its own fishmeal plant under Freezone status. We immediately wrote to the minister and drew his attention to the negative impact such a letter of support will bring on the investment of Ghana Protein,” he said and added that because the raw material for the plant fish waste could not be imported, it would render the five-million-dollar facility redundant.

The deputy minister in charge of Fisheries, according to Mr. Adu-Nketia, later visited them in the company of the Chairman of the Fisheries Commission and the acting Director of Fisheries to feign interest and to find a solution to the problem.

He stated that GPL, which currently employs about 50 people and operates 10 percent of its installed capacity, could employ about 200 workers if a level playing ground was created by industry regulators.

Mr. Adu-Nketia said in 1999, some officials of the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC), on a working visit to Cote d’Ivoire toured their plant to find ways of dealing with the issue of fish waste problems in Ghana.

That, according to Mr Adu-Nketia, compelled the GIPC members to appeal to the owners to set up a branch in Ghana.

From Razak Mardorgyz Abubakar, Tema

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