Fisheries Minister Attributes High Fish Prices to Fuel Costs and Limited Processing Infrastructure

By Makutu Manneh

The Minister of Fisheries, Water Resources, and National Assembly Matters, Musa Drammeh, has attributed the high cost of fish in Gambian markets to rising fuel prices and the country’s limited fish processing infrastructure.

Speaking on the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), Minister Drammeh explained that fishermen have informed the ministry that increased fuel costs at pump prices are significantly driving up the cost of fishing operations, a burden that is ultimately reflected in market prices.

He further noted that The Gambia lacks a fully functional fish landing port in Banjul, alongside adequate preservation and processing facilities to handle large-scale catches.

According to him, the absence of sufficient cold storage and processing capacity remains a major constraint in the sector.

“But this cannot also come into the country because we don’t have facilities to preserve fish; there are no processing plants. We have one in Sarro, but that cannot accommodate all the country’s needs,” he said.

Minister Drammeh explained that as a result of these infrastructural gaps, fishing vessels are often unable to land their full catches in The Gambia, as the fish cannot be preserved for long periods, leading to significant post-harvest losses.

He disclosed that the government has been engaging potential investors to develop a modern fish landing port equipped with adequate processing plants to enable all fish caught in Gambian waters to be landed and processed locally.

“This will not only give us revenue but will create a lot of employment and give us foreign currency,” he added.

On sector performance, the minister revealed that the fisheries sector generated over D234 million in 2025, surpassing the Ministry of Finance’s target of D98 million. He noted that 60 percent of the revenue is allocated to the central government, while the remaining 40 percent is retained by the sector for the construction of fishing vessels and the rehabilitation of existing landing sites.