There are indications that fish supply may run into shortages following the abandonment of some consignments at the various seaports recently.[You Can Look At The Full Video From Here. Start At 2:03 Minutes]
Industry sources said the development is connected to foreign exchange crises and port charges which have combined to raise the landing cost of the product....For More READ THE FULL STORY▶▶
The Chairman of Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN), Vicky Haastrup, who confirmed the development lamented the situation saying that it could lead to scarcity of the commodity soon.
Speaking to Vanguard on the sidelines of the 2024 SCAN Dockworkers’ Day in Lagos, Haastrup noted that no fish vessel is expected to arrive at the ports this month.
Haastrup, who is also the CEO of ENL Consortium, added, “Nigerians are passing through a very difficult phase right now, economically. What is also responsible for the situation at the ports is that the cost of doing business has gone up everywhere in the world.
‘‘Also, the buying power of Nigerians and the fish consumers have reduced and the ability to access forex remains a major challenge.
‘‘As I’m talking today, we are not expecting any fish vessels at ENL, a lot of fish vessels used to call at ENL anytime but now we are not expecting any fish vessels throughout this month. This is because fish has become very expensive for Nigerians’’.
Haastrup also emphasized that fish cold rooms in Lagos are full due to low demand, as the landing cost of the commodity has become unaffordable for many Nigerians.
She called on the government to intervene and address the forex crisis, adding, ‘‘There should be some kind of intervention on the part of the government, particularly on critical items like fish, which is very important for our children’s growth.[You Can Look At The Full Video From Here. Start At 2:03 Minutes]
‘‘I know that the federal government has reduced tax on some of these commodities but forex is still a challenge’’.…For More READ THE FULL STORY ▶
