USAID Supports Women Fish Processors To Improve Hygienic Processing
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USAID Supports Women Fish Processors To Improve Hygienic Processing
As part of an integrated approach to promote fish smoking technology known as the “Ahotor Oven”, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has trained 4,453 micro, small and medium-size enterprises in fish handling practices.
Additionally, the women have been trained in leadership development skills and business management for them to organise and feel comfortable in advocating responsible fishing practices.
To complement the training, a total of 141 new Ahotor Ovens had been built in 29 communities across the four fishing Regions of the country to help increase healthy fish production to meet both local and international market.
Mrs Doris Owusu, a Gender Specialist with the USAID Sustainable Fisheries Management Project SFMP told the GNA on the sidelines of a health screening exercise organised by the National Association of Fish Processors and Traders (NAFPTA) at Anomabo.
The exercise, funded by USAID saw doctors and nurses from health facilities in the Mfantseman Municipality attending to more than 300 fish processors and traders who were screened mainly to check on the state of their eyes, weight as well as breast cancer.
The women were asked to appreciate the dangers associated with being exposed to smoke get them to stop using the traditional fish smoking oven which exposed them to health hazards.
According to her, the high exposure to smoke could result in cancers, eye and respiratory infections, hence the introduction of the “Ahotor Oven” which produced less smoke and a healthier product for fish consumers.
She said the Ahotor Oven was designed to improve the working environment of fish processors and their dependents adding that installing the Oven was the first step for small smoked fish processors in achieving a new hygienic fish processing certificate issued by the Government.
“It is needless for people to have avoidable deaths in line of their work and advised the women to resort to the Ahotor Oven which reduced the amount of cancer causing compounds deposited on smoked fish, using the old method .
Mr Ekow Kwansah Hayfron, Member of Parliament (MP) for Mfantseman commended USAID SFMP and called on them to extend the health screening exercise to other landing beaches in the constituency.
He hinted that the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) had partnered the World Bank to extend the use of the new oven to all fish processors by 2020.
Nana Mbroba Dabo II, Queen Mother of Anomabo asked men to encourage their wives to seek regular medical check-ups to stay healthy and adequately support them to take care of the family.
Some of the women who spoke to the GNA, expressed delight about the introduction of the Ahotor Oven which they said would help improve their health and their businesses as well and thanked the USAID SFMP for the intervention.
Source: GNA
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