Inflation has not affected prawns - Trade Ministry

The Minister of Trade has revealed that the current inflation going on in the country has not affected the sale of prawns.

According to customers, many households, including average homes, purchase shrimps and sales in Douala has been booming throughout the year.

But it was mainly the fall in prices that has distinguished and democratized consumption of the precious prawns. In mid-October, some bought a kilogram for FCFA 4000. Far from FCFA 16,000 for the purchase of the same amount last year. The price often fluctuates downward without going below the FCFA 12,000 for a kilogram!

Unlike an uptrend in prices (3.5% in Douala in the first quarter of 2015, against a national average of 2.8%), the prawns are cheaper due to the measures taken by the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA). The recorded continuous decline since January was after the Minister's decision not to issue Taiga fishing licenses to shrimp vessels in 2015.

The non-renewal of licenses, from the perspective of local officials in fish production, has reduced the pressure on available resources.

According to Dr. Guy Mimbang, the departmental delegation of MINEPIA in Wouri, the "fitness" of such a measure, combined with increased surveillance of fishing activities, explains the availability of prawns at more affordable prices. It was a recent agreement signed between the ministry and the one in charge of Defense which has actually been fruitful.

In four months, both offense trawlers, with tons of fish and shrimp, were intercepted at sea by the navy. "Moreover, the joint presence of the surveillance brigade and army prevents potential offenders from violating the rule. All this helps to safeguard and increase the shrimp and even fish production," added Dr. Mimbang.

On the Waterfront also, the fishing services department performed repeated checks. This made it possible to seize the number of fishing boats with prohibited materials such as nets with mesh that are too tight.

Without such restriction, they would still have been able to depopulate immature fish production ponds.