Minister Warns Landing Beach Committees: Don’t Sell Premix Above Approved Prices

The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, has warned Landing Beach Committees (LBCs) against selling premix fuel above government-approved prices, cautioning that committees found hoarding, diverting or reselling the subsidised product for private gain would face sanctions.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Ms Arthur said the government would not allow individuals entrusted with the distribution of premix fuel to exploit fishers by imposing unauthorised charges.

She said every LBC was required to sell the product strictly at the approved price and display the price schedule prominently at the various landing beaches, to enable fishers to know exactly how much they were required to pay.

Under the current approved price schedule, premix fuel sells at GH¢5.51 per litre and GH¢24.80 per gallon.

The approved price means that 80 gallons cost GH¢1,984 while 70 gallons cost GH¢1,736.

The price for 50 gallons is GH¢1,240 while a yellow gallon costs GH¢174.

Ms Arthur said no fisher or fish processor should be compelled to pay even a pesewa above the approved price.

She warned that LBCs that deliberately increased prices, hoarded supplies or diverted premix fuel for unauthorised resale would be dealt with.

The Minister said the government was determined to protect the premix fuel subsidy and ensure that it benefits the fishing communities.

She stressed that committee members and other officials entrusted with the product had a responsibility to account for every consignment received.

Meanwhile, the Administrator of the National Premix Fuel Secretariat, Ebow Mensah, has also cautioned LBCs against withholding supplies to create artificial shortages or selling the product to middlemen.

Speaking on the implementation of the approved pricing regime, Mr Mensah said premix fuel was subsidised by the state to support fishing communities and should, therefore, not be treated as a commodity for private profiteering.

He said the Secretariat would embark on a nationwide public education campaign to ensure that fishers were fully aware of the approved prices.

According to him, the prices would be announced on radio stations, communicated through community information centres and widely disseminated on social media platforms.

He said the move was intended to prevent LBCs from claiming ignorance of the approved prices and to empower fishers to challenge illegal charges.

Mr Mensah further explained that any subsequent adjustment to the price of premix fuel would be formally communicated to fishers and other stakeholders through the approved channels.

Until such an announcement was made, he said LBCs were required to continue selling the product at the existing approved price.

The Secretariat, he added, would also strengthen monitoring of premix fuel distribution, from the oil marketing companies through to the landing beaches.

He said the monitoring would help the authorities identify cases of overpricing, diversion, hoarding and unauthorised resale.

“We will follow the distribution of the product from the oil marketing company to the landing beach. Any LBC found selling above the approved price, diverting supplies or conniving with middlemen will face sanctions,” he warned.

Mr Mensah urged chief fishermen, canoe owners, fishers and members of the public to report LBCs suspected of breaching the approved price regime.

He said the nationwide public education campaign would also provide fishers with the information needed to identify and report illegal charges.

The Minister reiterated that the government would protect the premix fuel subsidy from abuse and ensure that the product reached genuine fishers.

She said the government would no longer tolerate a situation in which a few individuals benefited from a subsidy intended to support entire fishing communities.

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