By Yusupha Jobe
A senior medical technologist and researcher at king Fahad medical centre in Saudi Arabia has alleged that golden lead fishmeal factory exports 32,000 kilograms of fishmeal powder every month outside the Gambia.
Ahmed Manjang said this in a recent open letter addressed to the minister of fisheries water resources and national assembly matters stating if other additional fishmeal production factories established along the coastal villages are added in the monthly export of the product will amounts to 160,000 kilograms which he added will be equivalent to 160 tons of fishmeal products export outside the country every month.
He said the total amount of the fishmeal products being export every month outside the country by the current established four fishmeal plants exceed the country’s export to outside world.
“When you look closely on the current amount of fishmeal products being export by the golden lead fishmeal company in every month alone is amounted around 32,000 kg which is also equivalent to (32 tons of fishmeal powder taken outside the country. And again when you combine all the established 4 fishmeal factories along the coast the export fishmeal products will be amount to 16,000 kg. This is total lose to our country food security considering the high demand of pelagic fish by the locals.” He said
He affirmed the alleged allegation in a recent interview with The Voice over the week while also alleging that the habit of pre-refinancing fishing vessels by the Chinese fishmeal factories in order to first supply factory with fish before letting the local fisher vendors to have their share which he said is meant for local markets has created recent scarcity of fish for local consumption.
He added that as a result of acute shortage of fish in the local markets many households he mentioned have now turn to consume cheap and highly subsidies imported chicken meat which he said are fretted with lots of health complications.
“Unless necessary health precautions are put in place by food safety standard regulators, chicken meat and eggs can be contaminated by infectious harmful disease. Poultry products can also be contaminated with antimicrobials and anti-parasitic drugs use on farms. The consumption of antimicrobials also causes anti-microbial resistant bacteria in humans”. He said
He further advised the fisheries ministry to take stringent measures that will put regulations on the fishmeal factories in order to safeguard the environment.